BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Jan. 7, 2016) – From the outset of the Drew University men's basketball team's first matchup with Moravian College of the year, it maintained a firm hold on the lead throughout as the Rangers won their fourth Landmark Conference contest of the year, on the road on Thursday evening, 80-73.
 
Four Rangers (7-6, 4-1) wound up with double-digit point totals as senior guards Mike Klinger and Brian McLaughlin combined for 37 points in the victory. The duo assisted on six baskets as well. With 18 (5-9), McLaughlin registered the second-highest point total of his career. Senior guard Kevin Herring II managed 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds. The road victory also saw the emergence of freshman forward Chatham Studer who turned in an eight point, eight rebound effort.
 
What was a constant single-digit lead in the first half turned to a constant double-digit lead in the second. Though similarly to the first 20 minutes, the Greyhounds (5-7, 1-4) made a late push at Drew's lead. They trimmed it to three with two minutes to play but stringent defense on the Rangers' part held them under until the final buzzer.
 
Drew responded to a relatively even first half by pulling well away as soon as the second half began. The Rangers opened with a lengthy 18-5 run to open the latter 20 minutes. The run lasted over six minutes and saw Drew go 4-for-4 at the beginning of it. The run was highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from McLaughlin, his 11^th and 14^th points of the day.
 
Studer netted his first career points after cleaning up his own short field goal. He'd net another basket on an offensive rebound from a Herring II miss, knotting the game up at 24. Studer, providing the guard-heavy Drew offense with a forward, used his size to his advantage, adding to those two offensive rebounds with three more before being called back to the bench.
 
The Rangers fended off the charging Greyhounds for the majority of the first half. Drew kept them at bay, clinging to a small lead as the teams exchanged baskets. With four minutes to play, the Greyhounds drained a pair of threes to break out to a 36-31 lead.
 
Klinger interrupted Moravian's run with a graceful left-handed scoop down the wing. The basket narrowed the Greyhounds sudden lead to just five with a minute to go until halftime. The Rangers would come all the way back to tie it at 38 before the halftime buzzer.
 
Drew significantly outrebounded their counterparts, 42-34 with four players logging over six boards each. The teams shot at near identical percentages from the field but the Rangers capitalized from the free throw line. Their ability to draw fouls and convert the subsequent baskets has emerged as an emblematic talent. The Rangers sunk 16 of 20 charity stripe buckets compared to four on Moravian's end. 

Next up, the Rangers, who find themselves just a game out of first place, get The Catholic University of America. The contest will be held in our nation's capital and is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9 with a 2:00 p.m. tip.