MADISON, N.J. (Jan. 5, 2016) – The Drew University men's basketball team suffered its first Landmark Conference loss of the season with a 69-62 setback to The No. 21 University of Scranton on Tuesday evening in Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
Senior guard Mike Klinger, the reigning Landmark Athlete of the Week, led all scorers with 25 points on the strength of five 3-pointers while adding three assists. Senior guard Kevin Herring II added 19 points, and junior guard Joey Feinberg tossed in 10 with a team-high five assists.
 
The loss drops the Rangers to 3-1 in the league and 6-6 overall, while the nationally ranked Royals improve to 3-1 and 10-2 for the season. Scranton had two players notch double-doubles in the victory.
 
The Rangers started the contest scorching hot on both ends of the ball, building a 20-3 lead eight minutes into the game with balanced scoring and solid field goal defense. After Scranton took two timeouts, the Royals' offense heated up, but Drew didn't relent much as a Klinger 3-pointer held a 29-13 lead with eight minutes to play in the opening half.
 
The game was turned on its head, however, when Scranton put together a 24-2 run to end the half, including a 60-foot buzzer beater to send the Royals to the locker room with a 37-31 advantage.
 
Klinger and the Rangers came out of half with a renewed purpose to take back their lead as the senior captain scored seven point in 2:15 to cut the Scranton lead to 41-40. Two minutes later, Klinger handed the Rangers the lead with another trey. Accurate free throw shooting by Herring II and Klinger, along with triples from Herring II and Feinberg allowed the Rangers to hold a slim 57-52 lead with 9:11 left in the game.
 
A 10-0 Scranton run over the next six minutes would decide the fate of this Landmark Contest as the Royals took back a lead they would not relinquish down the stretch. A Herring II jumped cut the deficit to three at 62-59, but Scranton finished the second half as they did the first; on a scoring run to seal a road victory. The 7-0 run, scored all from the free throw line, set the final score at 69-62.
 
The Royals battled hard down low with an advantage in rebounds (40-32) and points in the paint (24-10). Both teams made 10 three-pointers, but Scranton's total field goal percentage edged the Rangers, 43% to 36%.
 
Drew continues its Landmark Conference schedule on the road Thursday evening, Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Moravian College.