WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (Nov. 30, 2016) – Five Rangers scored in double figures and a total of five career-highs were set as the Drew University men's basketball team defeated Wilkes University, 90-86, on the road Wednesday night.
By the Numbers: The Rangers improve to 2-2 with their first road win of the season, while the Colonels fall to 4-3 and 3-2 at the Marts Center. Wilkes is now 1-2 against Landmark Conference teams this year with a win over Elizabethtown and losses to Drew and Scranton. Three Rangers combined to set five career-high marks on Wednesday.
Top Performers
• Sophomore guard
Dan Roibal picked up his first career start and promptly showed why he earned it. Roibal shot the lights out for a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while tying career-best marks in assists (5) and steals (3).
• Freshman guard
Riley Collins sets a new career-best with 21 points in his fourth game as a Ranger. The Drew rookie was deadly accurate from beyond the arc, nailing 6-of-9 attempts from three-point range.
• Sophomore guard
Darius Reiter set two new career-highs with 19 points and seven rebounds. Reiter also did his damage from downtown, connecting on six 3-pointers.
• Sophomore center
Nate Aldrich reeled in his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Turning Point: In a close contest defined by seven tie scores and 16 lead changes, it all came down to clutch jump shooting late in the game and sure-handed finishing at the free throw line to hold onto a slim lead down the stretch. Following a Reiter 3-pointer to put the Rangers up 83-78 with 2:49 to play, the remaining seven points for Drew were scored from the charity stripe on eight attempts to secure the victory.
Highlights
• The lead changed hands seven times in the opening 10 minutes of the first half, setting the tone for a dramatic back-and-forth affair.
• Wilkes led 41-35 at halftime, and quickly upped the advantage to 44-35 with a 3-pointer on their first possession in the second half. That would be the largest lead of the game for either team.
• Five straight points by Aldrich sparked a 10-0 run capped by a
Yonathan Napoleon triple as Drew not only erased the deficit, but also took a 45-44 lead with 16:31 to go.
• Wilkes regained the lead at 14:58 and held it over the next four minutes. That's when Collins and Reiter hit threes on back-to-back possessions to put Drew back up 63-61.
• Four lead changes later, Drew used an 8-0 run powered by two Collins treys to take its largest lead of game, 74-67.
Stat Sheet
• Aldrich's 16 boards helped Drew win the rebounding battle, 43-30.
• The Rangers hit a season-high 16 three-pointers, the highest total for the program since setting a new school record with 22 on Nov. 16, 2014. The 16 three-pointers is tied for second for a single game in the program record book.
• Drew played team-oriented basketball on Wednesday, assisting on 21 of the 29 field goals.
• Nearly half of Drew's rebounds were on the offensive glass. The 19 offensive rebounds helped the Rangers score 16 second-chance points.
Up Next: Drew opens 2016-17 Landmark Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 3 at The Catholic University of America at 4:00 p.m.
