TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 30, 2016) – The Drew University men's basketball team closed out the Tampa Bay Shootout with another close loss, 84-80, to Wentworth Institute of Technology in the consolation game on Friday afternoon.
 
By the Numbers: The setback drops Drew to 5-6 overall following a 74-72 overtime loss to SUNY Canton on Thursday. Wentworth claims third place in the tournament and moves to a 3-7 record.
 
Top Performers
• Sophomore guard Darius Reiter played all 40 minutes and recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He added two steals and three assists without a single turnover.
• Freshman guard Riley Collins shot 8-of-19 for his 20 points to go with four assists.
• In his second game as a Ranger, junior transfer Steve Sangree notched his career high with 19 points on the strength of four 3-pointers.
 
Turning Point: The Rangers erased an 18-point deficit with a 26-8 run spanning six minutes. Sangree tied the game at 59-59 with a triple, setting up a dramatic back-and-forth finish featuring four tie scores and six lead changes. The Leopards took the lead for good on a layup with 44 seconds remaining and iced the game from the free throw line.
 
Highlights
• A cold start from the field coupled with early foul trouble forced Drew into a double-digit hole just 6:10 into the contest. The large advantage would last until halftime, when Wentworth took a 42-28 lead into the locker room.
• The Leopards held fast early in the second half, leading by as many as 18 with 16:12 remaining. Junior forward Chatham Studer started the rally with two of his 10 points, sparking a 7-0 Ranger run. Collins then took care of a 6-0 run himself minutes later as Drew now trailed 53-46 with just under 13 minutes to play.
• Midway through the half, Sangree nailed six straight points for the Rangers via the 3-pointer to tie the game for the first time since the opening tip. The newest Ranger also hit a trey two minutes later to give Drew its first lead of the day, 66-65, with 7:22 remainging.
• The lead climbed as high as four points (71-67) following a Collins midrange jumper, but the final two minutes would decide the contest as both sides traded clutch layups and pressure-packed free throws. After another crunch time lay-in by Collins put Drew up by one, a couple costly turnovers doomed Drew as Wentworth put the game away at the charity stripe.
 
Stat Sheet
• The Rangers' foul trouble resulted in three disqualifications.
• Drew outscored the Leopards 34-26 in the paint, but yielded the rebounding battle, 36-32.
• Drew shot a respectable 47 percent from the field, but were outdone by Wentworth's 51 percent mark.
• The Rangers sent Wentworth to the line 28 times in the second half. Overall, the Leopards were 27-of-38 (71%) on free throws.
• Drew's foul trouble provided opportunity for the bench, who outscored Wentworth's reserves 33-8.
 
Up Next: The Rangers return North for a non-conference home tilt against Mount Aloysius College on Monday, Jan. 2 at 2:00 p.m. in Baldwin Gymnasium.