WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 9, 2016) – The Drew University men's basketball team dropped a Landmark Conference contest at The Catholic University of America, 81-64, on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Rangers (7-7, 4-2) led 44-38 at halftime after shooting 47% from the field and converting nine 3-pointers during the opening 20 minutes. It was a tale of two halves, however, as the Cardinals (11-4, 4-2) outscored Drew 43-20 in the second half to leapfrog them in the top half of the Landmark Conference standings.
 
Drew was led by its senior captain trio, which did most of their damage from beyond the three-point arc in the first half. Mike Klinger finished with 21 points and led distribution with five assists, while Kevin Herring II added 14 points and eight rebounds. Brian McLaughlin hit three treys in the opening half to contribute to the hot start and the halftime lead, and totaled 11 points, three assists and three rebounds.
 
Eight of the game's lead changes occurred within the first eight minutes of the contest with both teams trading long-range jumpers and momentum swings. Heads up ball movement helped the Rangers' high-octane offense get started, as their first five field goals were assisted. Catholic kept pace and even took a four-point lead (17-13) with 13:44 left in the half before McLaughlin and Herring quickly erased that with back-to-back three-pointers.
 
At the midway point, Klinger went on a personal 6-0 run on two triples to hand Drew the 25-20 lead. Catholic responded with a 6-0 run of its own, capitalized by a dunk to give the Cardinals a 26-25 lead. Klinger put a stop to the run with four straight points, with the final two coming off an assist by McLaughlin, who came up with a block and rebound on the other end before springing Klinger.
 
Over the next six minutes, the Landmark foes would trade baskets and free throws as the lead was passed back and forth. Catholic's final lead of the half came with 1:18 left, but Klinger finished the period on a 7-0 run on a three-pointer, a quick layup and two free throws as Drew took its 44-38 into halftime.

Notably, the Rangers added some size to their lineup by subbing in freshman forward Chatham Studer for the second straight game. Studer had another productive game, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
 
The second half featured increased accuracy from the Cardinals' shooters, while the Rangers' main contributors went in the opposite direction. Klinger, Herring and McLaughlin went a combined 0-of-16 and Drew missed all nine of its three-point attempts during the final period. The Rangers managed to get to the line down the stretch and converted at a high clip, 12-of-14, but a 25-14 second half rebounding advantage coupled with the discrepancy in shooting percentages sealed the Rangers' fate in the Nation's Capital.
 
 Thirteen of Catholic's 45 rebounds were on the offensive glass, feeding into 19 second chance points. Drew shot 81% from the line as a team (17-of-21), while the Cardinals made 10 three-pointers at a 37% rate.
 
The Rangers return home to Baldwin Gymnasium on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m. to take on Elizabethtown College in a Landmark Conference contest.