For Dorothy, it was Kansas. For the University of Scranton Lady Royals, it’s the John Long Center.

There’s no place like home in the NCAA Tournament, and the Royals can attest to that. After exiting the tournament in the first round last year for the first time since 1995, Scranton made extra sure that history would not be repeated.

Led by sniper sophomore Jennifer King’s 19 points off the bench, the Royals romped to a 73-42 victory over visiting Keuka College. The Royals flexed their collective muscle against the clearly overmatched Storm, outrebounding them 46 to 28 and forcing 24 turnovers.

Scranton led by 20 at the half, and Coach Strong took the opportunity to get some of his younger players some valuable minutes in the midst of the blowout. Every last player recorded at least seven minutes on the floor, and 12 different Royals scored.

First-year forward Sarah Gage continued to impress as she chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. Freshly anointed Landmark Conference Player of the Year Megan Kopecki had 11 points, and conference second-teamer Ryan Mooney had a game-high six assists.

Keuka, which brought a vaunted defense to Scranton, could not stop the Royal offense, much less get their own shots to fall. The Storm, ranked in the top 10 nationwide in scoring and field goal defense, allowed Scranton to pile up 71 points while shooting just 26.5 percent from the field themselves. Keuka had allowed their opponents to score 70 or more points just five times this season, and had even held two opponents to fewer than 25 points.

That wasn’t all that happened over the weekend. The Royals’ next opponent was Cortland St., fresh off a 16-point victory over St. Lawrence. The Red Dragons would not be nearly as easy to overcome, and the Royals found themselves tested heavily both early and late.

After the Red Dragons ended the first half on an 11-2 run to take a two-point lead, the Royals were put on the spot, in need of a response. And respond they did.

Despite an abysmal shooting performance from the floor, the Royals found strength in a traditionally weak part of their game: free throw shooting, converting 75 percent of their second-half foul shots and picking the pockets of the Red Dragons with critical steals late in regulation.

Sophomore guard Colleen McLane had three such steals consecutively, leading to five Royal points that broadened their advantage from a tenuous three to a breathable eight.

The Royals accumulated 15 points off turnovers for the game, including an 11-0 advantage in that area in the second half.

Kopecki had 19 points to lead all scorers, complementing her five rebounds and four assists. Mooney had 12 points and four assists, and senior center Molly Klusek blocked six Red Dragon shots.

With the win, the Royals advance to the Sweet 16 for the seventeenth time in school history, with their lone national championship coming in 1985.

So, just how far does this yellow brick road go?

Scranton will take its act on the road to Rochester this weekend to face York College. The Spartans, 27-2 and ranked No. 12 in D3Hoops.com’s final regular season poll, are coming off first and second round wins against Christopher Newport and Baruch. Scranton has not faced York in the 28 years Coach Strong has been with the Royals.

Tip-off is at 6 p.m. Friday, and can be heard on 99.5 WUSR or online at D3Hoops.com.