ABINGTON, Pa. - A balanced scoring effort and a late-game run led the Drew University men's basketball team to a 74-64 victory at Penn State Abington in non-conference action Saturday afternoon. The Rangers (7-1) are now off to their best start through eight games in 75 years, as only the 1943-44 team opened 7-1.

How it Happened: The game followed a similar script as Drew's victory at Wilkes University back on Nov. 28, as the Rangers jumped to an early lead, saw its opponent make a comeback, then closed the game with a rally of its own. The Rangers jumped to a 10-point lead (33-23) at the half, using a 16-4 run late in the period to open up a cushion. Drew turned to the long ball during the stretch, knocking down four 3-pointers over the run. However, the Lions (4-3) came roaring back in the second half with a 19-5 run to assume a 44-39 lead with 11:00 remaining. But after a timeout, the Rangers answered with a decisive 21-1 run. Once again, Drew utilized the outside shot, draining four triples during the outburst. Senior Sky Harris kicked off the run with a 3-ball before junior Riley Collins put the Rangers in front to stay (45-44) with a triple of his own at the 10:11 mark. The lead reached double figures when freshman guard Drew Gallagher dropped in a lay-up with 6:58 left, and the Rangers would lead by at least nine the rest of the way.

Top Performers: Senior forward Nate Aldrich scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to lead the Blue and Green while junior guard Cole Hanntz dropped a career-high 14 points, knocking down 4-of-5 3-pointers. Collins contributed 12 points and six assists while shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc while Harris notched 11 points and six rebounds.

Stat Sheet: The Rangers shot 45.5 percent for the game while the Lions shot 46.3 percent. Abington held a 47-25 rebounding advantage; however, Drew forced 22 turnovers that led to 28 points. The Rangers shot 13-for-31 from beyond the arc, marking the team's top 3-point output of the season.

Next Up: Drew returns to action next Saturday, when it visits Rutgers-Newark in a non-conference tilt starting at 2 p.m.