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Drew University Athletics

Riley Collins
Chris Pedota
74
Juniata JCMBB 13-2, 2-2 LC
75
Winner Drew DREW-M 11-4, 4-0 LC
Juniata JCMBB
13-2, 2-2 LC
74
Final
75
Drew DREW-M
11-4, 4-0 LC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Juniata JCMBB 32 42 74
Drew DREW-M 34 41 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Collins Layup Caps Thrilling 75-74 Win Over Juniata

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MADISON, N.J. – After Juniata had taken a one-point lead, Riley Collins (Lacey, N.J.) drove the length of the court and drilled a layup to put the Drew University men's basketball team ahead with five seconds left on Saturday afternoon at Baldwin Gymnasium.  The Eagles (13-2, 2-2 Landmark) were unable to get a shot off on the other end, as the Rangers (11-4, 4-0 Landmark) earned their fifth straight victory, 75-74, and remained in first place in the Landmark Conference.
 
Drew led by nine points midway through the second half before the Eagles rallied to tie the game at 69-69 on Seth Brewer's layup with 1:31 remaining.  After Collins hit a pair of free throws, Marcus Lee immediately countered with a layup to even the score at 71-71.  A Yonathan Napoleon (Los Angeles, Calif.) layup put the Rangers back in front, 73-71, with 36 seconds left, but Juniata's Damon Rickens was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and made all three foul shots to put his team ahead for the first time, 74-73, with just under 15 seconds to go. 
 
That lead would be short-lived though, as Drew Head Coach Darryl Keckler called timeout and set up a play for Collins, who went off glass for what would turn out to be the game-winner.  Despite having a timeout remaining, Juniata opted to play it out, and the Eagles' three-pointer from the corner (which went up after the buzzer) was no good.
 
"You knew they were going to make a run," Keckler said.  "But we have so much confidence in Riley Collins and Yonathan Napoleon and Nate Aldrich that with 14 seconds on the clock, I'm feeling OK.  One of our guys is going to get a great look, we're going to get a shot that we can win with, and I feel comfortable with it."
 
The Rangers scored the first six points of the game and built an early 11-4 cushion just four minutes in.  Juniata responded with seven straight points to tie it at 11-11, but Drew countered with a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 20-11, at the 8:11 mark of the first half.  It was 29-21 in favor of the Rangers when the Eagles went on a 9-2 rally to trim their deficit to one, 31-30, with 1:13 left before halftime.  However, Darius Reiter (Littleton, Colo.) was fouled on a trey and sank all three free throws to push the margin back to four, 34-30, and Drew held a 34-32 advantage at the break.
 
Juniata opened the second half with a bucket that tied the score at 34-34, but Drew rattled off 12 of the next 18 points to go up six, 46-40, with 16:22 remaining.  After the Eagles pulled back within one at 47-46, a 10-2 Rangers spurt again made it a nine-point game, 57-48, at the 9:30 mark.
 
All five Drew starters scored at least nine points, led by a game-high 21 from Collins.  He also had four assists and five steals.  Reiter tallied 15 points and four steals, and Napoleon finished with 14 points.  Nate Aldrich (Franklinville, N.J.), meanwhile, recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Dan Roibal (Middletown, N.J.) contributed nine points to go along with four assists and three steals.  Drew shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from long range, and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) at the free throw line.
 
For Juniata, Lee had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Brandon Martinazzi registered 15 points and six boards, while Seth Brewer notched 15 points and six assists.  Rickens tallied 11 points to go along with six rebounds.  The Eagles shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor, 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from three-point land, and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) at the charity stripe.  Each team corralled 33 rebounds.
 
On Wednesday night, Drew welcomes Elizabethtown (3-11, 0-4 Landmark) to Baldwin Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. matchup.  It will mark the end of the Rangers' three-game homestand.
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