Attendees wait for the game to start during a watch party of the NCAA Division III national championship at the University of Scranton on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Attendees wait for the game to start during a watch party of the NCAA Division III national championship at the University of Scranton on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
SALEM, Virginia — A pair of scoring droughts ended the University of Scranton women’s basketball team’s dream of a national championship.
Dension University scored 19 of the game’s final 21 points to spoil a gritty Lady Royals comeback in the third quarter and earn a 55-41 victory Saturday in the NCAA Division III final at Roanoke College’s Creeger Center.
Abby Cooch had 18 points for the Big Red (30-2) and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Kaci Kranson and Meghan Lamanna each had 10 points for Scranton (32-1) and Kaeli Romanowski added nine points and 17 rebounds. Kranson went over the 2,000 career-point mark on a 3-pointer late in the third quarter.
Lamanna scored on a drive to open the fourth quarter and give the Lady Royals a 36-33 lead. Abby Cooch tied it for Denison with a 3-pointer, but Elizabeth Bennett countered with a 3-pointer to put Scranton back in front, 39-36, with 9:06 remaining.
However, the Lady Royals went scoreless for almost the next six minutes, enabling Denison to score 14 straight points to take control, 50-39, with 3:21 left and the Big Red were on their way to the title.
Denison’s size gave the Lady Royals offense trouble in the first half.
Elizabeth Bennett hit a 3-pointer right before the first-quarter buzzer to cut Denison’s lead to 11-10. But in the second quarter, Scranton managed just one point — a Kaeli Romanowski free throw with 8:37 left — and shot 0 for 17 from the field, including 0 for 7 from 3-point range.
Fortunately, the defense kept the Lady Royals in the game. It held Denison to 8-for-38 shooting in the first half, including 2 for 17 from 3-point range. The Big Red had just one field goal in the final 7:08 of the first half.
That field goal, however, was a 3-pointer by Violet Mitchell with 2:11 left to give Denison a 19-11 halftime lead. The eight-point margin is the largest deficit the Lady Royals faced all season.
A basket by Abby Cooch to open the third quarter extended Denison’s lead to 10. But the Lady Royals offense finally got going and scored the next nine points. Kranson hit two free throws, Romanowski had a steal-and-layup, Katie Gorski hit a 3-pointer and Kranson had a rebound-and-basket to bring Scranton within 21-20 with 7:31 left in the third.
Scranton had several chances to take the lead, but missed. Finally, a layup and two free throws by Romanowski put the Lady Royals in front, 25-23, with 3:15 left in the third.
Ada Taute answered with a 3-pointer for Denison. The teams then traded baskets before Lamanna hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Royals a 34-33 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.thetimes-tribune.com ’
