SCRANTON, Pa. (Jan. 27, 2016) – A resurgent Ranger comeback fell just short as the Drew University men's basketball team couldn't quite catch up to The University of Scranton, and dropped the Landmark Conference road game, 80-74.
 
Senior guard Mike Klinger paced the Rangers (9-10, 6-4) with 26 points and went 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Senior guards Brian McLaughlin and Kevin Herring II netted 11 points apiece.
 
Scranton (13-5, 6-4) opened the game with a flurry of baskets that saw them begin with a 9-1 head start. Shortly after the 10 minute mark of the first half, the Rangers put together a 9-0 run on the strength of three consecutive 3-pointers. The executers included Klinger, who hit two, and Feinberg. The run brought the score to 28-17 in favor of Scranton.
 
At halftime, despite 14 points from Klinger, the Rangers trailed 44-29.
 
Five minutes into the second half, Drew cut the halftime deficit in half. Its defense kept Scranton frozen at 50 points for two minutes while Drew's shooters got to work inside the arc. With every try to the basket the Rangers forced fouls, and at this point in the game, Scranton had twice as many fouls as their opponent. The scoring rush from Drew allowed them to close in on the Royals and with 10 minutes to go in the game, the Rangers trailed by just eight.
 
With six and a half minutes to go, Klinger offered a quick two-pointer for his 20^th point of the game. The bucket trimmed the Royal lead to seven. As the final minutes ticked down Drew's resurgence lost steam. They were able to hold up the six-point deficit but couldn't quite amass Scranton's lead.
 
The Rangers thrived from the foul line, hitting 22 free throws on 27 attempts for an 81% mark. The free throws kept the Rangers in a game they were outshot in, 29-22. The Rangers also lost the rebounding battle 33-24.
 
Drew returns home to Baldwin Gym on Saturday, Jan. 30 to take on Juniata College at 2:00 p.m.