ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (Jan. 14, 2015) – Despite junior guard Mike Klinger matching a career-high with 33 points, the Drew University men's basketball team took a 97-76 Landmark Conference loss to a deadly accurate Elizabethtown College team on Wednesday evening on the road.
 
Klinger's 33 points came via high shooting percentages as the team captain drained 11-of-16 from the floor, 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Junior swingman Ozan Yucetepe filled out a solid stat line of 10 points, eight boards, four assists and a steal for the Rangers (8-7, 4-3). However, the Blue Jays (6-9, 4-3) found it difficult to miss the bottom of the basket by shooting 64 percent from the floor as a team, including 10-of-16 from downtown. The assault was led by Tyler Simpkiss' 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting.
 
Back-and-forth basketball highlighted the opening two minutes as each team established what would become a highly efficient attack. Elizabethtown claimed the first offensive spurt with a quick 6-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 17 minutes left on the first half clock.
 
The Blue Jays would then make eight of their next nine shots from the floor to maintain a six-point lead at 22-16 with 14:10 left in the half. Layups from Jason Huelbig and Kevin-Michael Miller on back-to-back possessions brought the Rangers to within two, but the Jays responded with a 16-2 run to take firm control of the game. Elizabethtown coasted to halftime with the 50-40 lead on a 68 percent mark from the floor.
 
The second half began with another Jays scoring run, this one an 8-3 stint that put the home squad up 15. Led by the three-point shooting and a couple of timely fast break layups from Klinger, Drew fought back, but Elizabethtown had the answer each time and maintained the 15-point lead at 75-60 with 10 minutes to play in the game.
 
Drew's last battle to chip away at the lead followed with junior guard Brian McLaughlin hitting a three, followed by two freebies from Klinger and three free throws from McLaughlin after he was fouled shooting beyond the arc. The 8-0 run cut the Elizabethtown lead to 77-68 with 7:47 to go. As was common throughout the evening, the Blue Jays knew how to respond and did it quickly. The lead was back up to 14 two minutes later.
 
Klinger would continue to drain his jumpers, but the can't-miss attitude from the Blue Jays was too much as Elizabethtown hung on for the home-court victory.
 
The Rangers will look to bounce back with its second straight Landmark road game on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4:00 p.m. at Susquehanna University.