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Drew University Athletics

Yonathan Napoleon
Chris Pedota
83
Catholic CATHOLIC 1-3, 0-1 LC
91
Winner Drew DREW-M 3-3, 1-0 LC
Catholic CATHOLIC
1-3, 0-1 LC
83
Final
91
Drew DREW-M
3-3, 1-0 LC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Catholic CATHOLIC 42 41 83
Drew DREW-M 45 46 91

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Drew Knocks Off Catholic In Landmark Conference Opener

MADISON, N.J. – Coming into this season, the Drew University men's basketball team hadn't beaten Catholic in nearly seven years.  That all changed on Saturday afternoon, as the Rangers (3-3, 1-0 Landmark) snapped a 14-game losing streak against the Cardinals (1-3, 0-1 Landmark) with a 91-83 triumph at Baldwin Gymnasium.  Yonathan Napoleon (Los Angeles, Calif.) erupted for a career-high 34 points in Drew's first win over Catholic since Jan. 15, 2011.
 
Drew made four of its first five shots to quickly take an 8-3 lead, and a Sky Harris (Edison, N.J.) three-pointer extended the cushion to 15-8 barely five minutes into the contest.  However, after a Darius Reiter (Littleton, Colo.) trey put the Rangers up 27-18 at the 12:03 mark, the Cardinals rallied for nine straight points to tie the score at 27-27 with 8:49 left in the first half.
 
Catholic took its first lead, 32-31, at the 6:21 mark, but Nate Aldrich (Franklinville, N.J.) immediately countered with a layup to put Drew back in front.  That bucket started a 12-2 run, which helped the Rangers open up a 43-34 advantage with 3:28 remaining until halftime.  Catholic again responded, though, pulling within one at 43-42, before Napoleon sank a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game, 45-42, at halftime.
 
After Catholic went up 50-49 early in the second half, Drew regained the lead on a Napoleon three.  The Cardinals immediately tied it on an Andre Mitchell jumper before a Dan Roibal (Middletown, N.J.) bucket started a 20-8 rally that put Drew ahead for good.  A Riley Collins (Lacey, N.J.) free throw gave the Rangers their largest lead of the game, 72-60, midway through the second half.  Catholic got within three at 84-81 with 1:16 remaining, but the Rangers went 7-for-8 at the free throw line in the final minute to ice the victory.
 
Napoleon, who is averaging 31.5 points over his last two games, also registered four assists and four rebounds.  Collins finished with 16 points and four assists, while Aldrich had his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards.  Blaine Taylor (Concord, Mass.), meanwhile, notched six points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.  The Rangers went 29-for-59 (49.2 percent) from the field and had 17 assists compared to just 11 turnovers.  Drew shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three-point range and 75.8 percent (25-of-33) at the charity stripe.
 
Jimmy Golaszewski, Jay Howard and Mitchell tallied 23 points apiece to lead the Cardinals.  Golaszewski also had seven rebounds and three blocks, while Howard posted six boards and three blocks.  Collin Hartmann handed out five assists to go along with seven rebounds, as Catholic held a 32-31 advantage on the glass.  The Cardinals shot 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the floor and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from the floor, but made just 62.1 percent (18-of-29) of their free throws.
 
The Rangers will resume their non-conference schedule on Tuesday night, when they host King's (3-3) at 7 p.m.  Drew doesn't face another Landmark foe until a Jan. 6 matchup at Goucher.
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