WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Freshman guard Drew Gallagher drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds left and the Drew University men's basketball team survived a furious second-half rally to beat previously-undefeated Wilkes University 67-65 in a non-conference tilt Wednesday evening. Junior guard Riley Collins led the Rangers with 14 points while senior forward Nate Aldrich posted his third-straight double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
 
How it Happened: Drew (5-1) overcame a late six-point deficit after leading by 20 early in the second half. Gallagher accepted a kick-out from Aldrich and, from the right corner, drained his only field-goal attempt of the game, which was also his first collegiate 3-pointer, to put the Rangers up 66-65. Wilkes (4-1) had one final chance coming out of a timeout and managed to get off 3-point attempt after a full-court pass from under the basket. But the shot bounced off the heel of the rim as time expired and the Rangers improved to 5-1 for the first time since 1979-80.
 
Turning Point: Drew led 49-29 with 16:12 left after a 3-pointer by junior forward Brian Oehme, but that's when the Colonels went on a 33-7 run, thanks in part to a full-court press, to assume a 62-56 lead with 3:19 remaining. However, the Rangers outscored the hosts 11-3 over the final 2:56. Collins kicked off the run with a pair of free throws before dropping in a fast-break lay-up to make it 62-60 with 2:33 left. The Colonels answered with a 3-pointer with 1:35 showing to go up five, but Drew would score the game's final seven points, starting with a conventional 3-point play from Aldrich with 45 seconds on the clock. Wilkes then missed a driving lay-up and Collins came away with the rebound, setting up Gallagher's big shot. Wilkes missed again on its next trip down the court and this time Aldrich rebounded before passing it off to Collins, who was fouled before making 1-of-2 free throws with three seconds left to set the final score.
 
First Half: The Rangers opened up some breathing room midway through the first half with a 13-0 run that made it 26-12 with 7:20 to go. Drew first saw its lead hit 20 after a Collins jumper with 3:07 left in the opening half, and the Rangers took a 39-22 lead into the locker room.
 
Top Performers: In addition to his 14 points, Collins tied a career-high with seven rebounds. Aldrich, who grabbed seven offensive and seven defensive boards, registered his 33rd career double-double. Senior forward Sky Harris added 11 points off the bench while junior guard Cole Hanntz notched eight points and four steals. Marcus Robinson scored 18 points to lead Wilkes while Mark Mullins notched 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Stat Sheet: The Rangers shot 36.5 percent for the game while Wilkes finished at 38.1 percent. Drew's bench outscored the Colonels' sub 31-5. The Rangers scored 20 points off Wilkes' 20 turnovers.
 
Up Next: Drew opens Landmark Conference play on Saturday, when it visits Catholic University at 4 p.m.