Despite another big game from Mike Mayes, Drew men's basketball was unable to overcome USMMA's big advantages on the bench and in the paint as the Rangers dropped their Landmark Conference opener, 76-51, to the Mariners.  USMMA used a late first half run to built a lead it would not relinquish.  Mayes led all scorers with 20 points while Richard Roach led four Mariners in double figures with 16 points.
The game was tied with eight minutes left in the first half at 12-12.  Up to that point, the contest was a typical physical, defensive Landmark game.  Mayes had carried the Rangers' offense with ten of the 12 points.  USMMA would go on a 19-3 run over the next six minutes that would put the Rangers in a hole from which they could not climb out.  Drew did end the half with a 6-0 run thanks to a jumper from Kyle Joyce and two buckets from Mayes to brignt he score to 31-21.
A 15-5 run by the Mariners to open the second half put the game out of reach.  The Mariners got points from five different players in the run with Drew getting responses from just Travis DeNapoli's three and Mayes' jumper.  Eventually, Chad Ray's three with 12:23 left to play gave the hosts a 20-point, 49-29, advantage.
Despite good work from McNeil Wrice off the bench, Drew was unable to cut the lead and some late baskets from the Mariners brought the advantage up to 28 before settling on the 25-point gap at the final whistle, 76-51.
Mayes finished with 20 points and four rebounds.  Wrice had five off the bench and Terrell Brown had seven. Kevin Kerr had 14 off the bench for USMMA while Roach's 16 led the Mariners.  Matt Hueber had 11 and 11.  
Drew shot just 37 percent from the field while the Mariners hit 46%.  The Rangers were unable to counter the Mariners' advantage in the paint as USMMA not only outscored Drew 32-18 in the paint, but outrebounded the Rangers 45-23 as well.
The Rangers (2-4, 0-1) have two more games in December.  On Wednesday night, they will travel to Staten Island to face the Dolphins at 7:30 pm.

Newspaper Box Score
DREW vs USMMA
12/5/09 4:00 pm at Kings Point, NY
At Kings Point, NY
USMMA 76, DREW 51
DREW (2-4, 0-1 LC)
Mike Mayes 9-21 2-4 20; Terrell Brown 3-7 1-2 7; Pat Dorsey 1-2 2-2 5; Kyle
Joyce 2-4 0-0 5; McNeil Wrice 2-4 1-2 5; Travis DeNapoli 1-3 0-0 3; Lucas
Levenson 0-4 2-2 2; Evan Elberg 1-1 0-0 2; Mehmet Onen 1-1 0-0 2; Joe
Horvath 0-4 0-0 0; Luke Mullaney 0-2 0-0 0; Anthony Solano 0-1 0-0 0; Nick
Ganzfried 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-54 8-12 51.
USMMA (3-1, 1-0 LC)
Richard Roach 7-9 2-3 16; Kevin Kerr 5-8 0-0 14; Jon Snead 4-9 3-3 12; Matt
Hueber 2-5 7-8 11; Chad Ray 2-4 2-2 8; Tom Izzo 3-8 0-0 7; Ryan Samuel 1-6
2-2 4; Frankie Wiseley 1-2 0-0 2; Josh Beck 0-0 2-2 2; Denver Effland 0-2
0-0 0; Colin Barnes 0-0 0-0 0; Scott Rattigan 0-0 0-0 0; Patrick Farrell 0-0
0-0 0; Bryan Lynch 0-0 0-0 0; Anthony Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 18-20
76.
DREW..........................   21   30  -   51
USMMA.........................   31   45  -   76
3-point goals--DREW 3-12 (Pat Dorsey 1-1; Travis DeNapoli 1-2; Kyle Joyce
1-2; Joe Horvath 0-3; Luke Mullaney 0-1; McNeil Wrice 0-2; Mike Mayes 0-1),
USMMA 8-18 (Kevin Kerr 4-6; Chad Ray 2-4; Jon Snead 1-2; Tom Izzo 1-3;
Denver Effland 0-1; Frankie Wiseley 0-1; Ryan Samuel 0-1). Fouled
out--DREW-None, USMMA-None. Rebounds--DREW 23 (Lucas Levenson 5), USMMA 45
(Matt Hueber 11). Assists--DREW 7 (Mike Mayes 2), USMMA 13 (Jon Snead 3;
Kevin Kerr 3). Total fouls--DREW 18, USMMA 16. Technical fouls--DREW-None,
USMMA-None. A-90