MADISON, N.J. (Feb. 04, 2015) – Despite erasing a 15-point deficit with a gritty, late-game comeback, the Drew University men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking Landmark Conference contest to The United States Merchant Marine Academy, 90-88, in Baldwin Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
 
Junior guards Mike Klinger and Kevin Herring II each finished with 24 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Jason Huelbig dropped 15, with 12 coming on a career-best free throw shooting night (12-of-17), while also adding career-high marks in steals (3) and blocks (4). The Rangers made 31 free throws on 41 attempts for a 76 percent mark. The 31 made freebies are the second most in program history.
 
As the contest ticked to a close, the Rangers (10-11, 5-7) were in the process of clawing their way back into a contest they trailed by 15 at two separate points. With four seconds to play, however, they trailed by two after USMMA missed the front end of a one-and-one. A deceivingly nonchalant Klinger jolted for the corner on an inbound play. He caught the pass and tried a deep two, too short. Klinger, then, bolted for his own rebound and with less than a second on the clock tried another. That one fell short as well and the buzzer sounded.
 
The Rangers' long trek back began when they applied the full-court press late in the second half. Herring and the rest of the Rangers made it quite difficult for the Mariners (6-14, 3-9) to get the ball to the offensive half. The Rangers forced fouls and turnovers and converted when they were given the opportunity. Huelbig drained his career-high 10^th and 11^th free throws of the game to draw the score to 87-83 with a minute and a half to play, setting up the dramatic final minute.
 
The comeback was necessary due to a quick start by the Mariners in the first half. Out of a timeout, Merchant Marine exploded into a 20-5 run that would take them to the 3:20 mark in the half, taking them to a 38-23 lead. The hot shooting was indicative of their final percentage, 58.2 percent from the field. Drew finished 52 percent as a team.
 
Insistent and intrusive defense from Herring and Klinger forced the Mariners to eventually turn the ball over to Drew. Once it was it their possession, the same guards stormed the paint, drawing fouls and finding junior center Kevin-Michael Miller open under the basket. This style of play significantly narrowed the deficit and quieted the Mariners' attack. However, the halftime score was 40-31 in favor of Merchant Marine.
 
The Rangers began life anew on top of the rim in the second half. On one basket, Herring leapt with the ball and his body parallel to the backboard and with curveball like wrist action, flipped in a layup. Junior swingman Ozan Yucetepe on the following possession pursued an errant basket and used two hands to put it back. The Rangers trailed 46-39 with 17 minutes to go.
 
Drew trailed 70-59 at the eight-minute mark Huelbig euro-stepped his way into the paint on a fast break. His layup try was too strong but Herring was there to clean it up.  And Herring would continue to be there on both the defensive and offensive end. He would scrap after loose Mariner passes, snag them and take them on fast break buckets.  The effort gave the Rangers a fighting chance down the stretch, where Drew came up just a bucket short.
 
The Rangers won the rebounding battle 28-25, but lost the war in paint points 42-30.
 
The Rangers embark on their final road trip of the year as they head to our nation's capital for a Landmark Conference bout with the first place Catholic University of America on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.