SCRANTON, Pa. – Ursinus gave host Scranton all it could handle in the championship game of the Scranton Invitational, but the Royals separated themselves with a big run that started early in the second half to hoist the trophy with a 71-62 decision this afternoon. Freshman guard Eric Williams (Plainfield, N.J./The Hun School) went off for a game-high 25 points to lead the Bears and earn a nod on the all-tournament team.

Ursinus (1-1) stunned the homestanding Royals (2-0), who received votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, with a 7-2 run to open the game. The Bears led 26-23 after a pair of baskets from senior guard Mark Wonderling (Lederach, Pa./Souderton Area), but Scranton responded with a 6-0 spurt to take a 29-26 edge into intermission.

Ursinus held the Royals without a point for the first 3:32 of the second half, pulling into a 29-all stalemate on a bucket inside by sophomore forward Joseph LoStracco (Chalfont, Pa./Archbishop Wood) with 16:39 remaining. That's when Scranton flipped the switch, embarking on a 23-4 run over the next eight-plus minutes to put the Bears away. Ursinus got to within nine on a layup by Wonderling that made it 58-49 with 3:10 to play, and cut the margin to six on Williams' sixth and final triple with 22 ticks remaining. Scranton made five of six free throws down the stretch to claim the season-opening tournament crown.

Sophomore guard Kevin Doolan had 19 points and seven assists for the Royals, who got 16 points and nine rebounds from senior forward Brendan Boken.

Williams finished 8-of-15 from the field and made six of his 13 attempts from distance, adding two assists to his sparkling stat line. Sophomore guard Brian Rafferty (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) did a little bit of everything for the Bears, posting 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists; he dished out 12 dimes against just two turnovers for the tournament.

LoStracco turned in another impressive performance on the interior, netting eight points and hauling down a game-high 14 rebounds to lead all players; he averaged 13 boards per game over the two-day event. Junior forward Patrick Mekongo (Yaounde, Cameroon/Pope John XXIII) grabbed nine caroms for the Bears, who enjoyed a 44-30 advantage on the glass but were undone by 16 turnovers and a Scranton squad that made 13 three-pointers and only committed four miscues.

Ursinus has 10 days off before opening Helfferich Hall with an 8:00 p.m. date with Swarthmore on Tuesday, November 24, the first night of Centennial Conference play.