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MADISON, N.J. (December 10, 2015) – On the strength of three 20-plus point games for the duo of senior guards Brian McLaughlin, Kevin Herring II, and junior guard Joey Feinberg, the Drew University men's basketball team bested Wilkes University, 86-79, on Thursday evening at Baldwin Gym.
 
For Feinberg and McLaughlin, their point totals were career highs. The guards notched 24 and 20 points respectively, both on 50-percent shooting. Feinberg's previous high of 20 was set in his debut versus SUNY Potsdam. McLaughlin shattered his previous best of 13 that he posted against Catholic on Feb. 8, 2014. Herring II, with 22 points, registered his fifth 20-plus point performance.
 
Despite having dug a hole for itself, Wilkes (3-6) was resilient and soon pulled into a tie with Drew (4-4) with five minutes to play. The teams were still deadlocked at the two-minute mark as they traded leads down the stretch. As seconds started ticking off, Feinberg sized up the defense with the ball in his hand. He then uncorked a series of hesitations and spins that got him from the 3-point line to underneath the basket seamlessly. Once there, he drew a foul and flipped up a layup with plenty of traffic. The bucket and the following free throw got Drew up, 80-77. That lead gave Drew just the momentum it needed to take it to the buzzer ahead.
 
Wilkes put the pressure on immediately, starting the game with six consecutive three-pointers on as many tries. Their scoring would prove sporadic and stall, allowing the Rangers to gain ground on the early deficit.
 
With six minutes left in the first half, the Rangers grabbed their first lead of the contest when freshman forward Brian Oehme drained a deep 3.
 
The Rangers 3-pointers picked up as the first half wound down. McLaughlin nailed two in a row in the final minute, asking for the ball well before he received it, confident he'd knock down the shot. The Rangers took that momentum into the half with a 40-38 lead.
 
Wilkes' offense ran smoothly enough, with well-choreographed plays and diligent ball distribution. Their defense on the other hand was porous. As the Rangers charged into the zone, their big men sank in. The Ranger guards took advantage and Herring II and Feinberg utilized combinations of running floaters and undercutting scoops. A sequence of those, and another McLaughlin three stretched Drew's lead to seven with 15 minutes to go.
 
Eight minutes deeper into the half, the Colonels took a chunk out of Drew's growing lead and were looking for more. McLaughlin took advantage of over execution on the part of Wilkes' play running and stepped in front of a pass at the top of the key, taking it on a run and layup to give Drew a five-point lead.
 
Drew's ability to draw fouls and get to the line has gotten to near-elite levels. They drew 21 fouls and converted 17-of-21 foul shots. The Rangers' outshot Wilkes from the line 17-4 and they have made a habit of that as of late.
 
Drew is set for a three-game road trip that will take it into the heat of conference play. The first non-conference tilt is against Rutgers-Newark on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2:00 p.m.