WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Junior guard
Riley Collins came within a rebound of a triple-double and was one of five Rangers to score in double figures, leading the Drew University men's basketball team to a 71-60 non-conference victory at King's College Wednesday evening. Collins racked up 13 points, a career-high 12 assists, and nine rebounds as the Rangers (9-3) closed out their non-conference schedule on a high note.
How it Happened: Drew never trailed and was never seriously threatened after opening up a 32-19 lead with 6:35 left in the opening half following back-to-back transition lay-ups from senior guard
Darius Reiter and junior guard
Mike Boice. However, the Monarchs (2-11) never went away and closed the first half on a 10-2 run to make it a five-point game at the break. Drew pushed its advantage to 16 (54-38) midway through the second stanza on another fast-break bucket from Reiter, only to see King's chip the deficit to six on two occasions, the last coming with 53 seconds left. However, Collins hit two free throws 12 seconds later before junior guard
Cole Hanntz went coast-to-coast with a steal and lay-up to seal the win with 23 ticks showing.
Top Performers: Collins dished out eight of his assists in the opening half, and his total is tied for the fifth-most in school history. It was also the most assists by a Ranger since Nelson Albino's 12 dimes in a victory over Stevens on Dec. 3, 2008. Sophomore forward
Malachi Walker also turned in a strong all-around performance with a career-high 10 points to go with eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Reiter (16), senior forward
Nate Aldrich (11), and senior forward
Sky Harris (10) also scored in double figures while Hanntz chipped in with nine points. In addition, Aldrich moved into third on Drew's all-time rebounding list with his first board of the night, and with five caroms he pushed his career total to 712.
Stat Sheet: Drew shot 44.1 percent for the game while holding the Monarchs to 35.5 percent shooting. The Rangers utilized the transition game, doubling King's in fast-break points (26-13), and forced 21 turnovers.a The Monarchs outrebounded Drew 50-36 and held a 13-1 advantage in second-chance points.
Up Next: The Rangers resume their Landmark Conference schedule on Saturday, when they visit Juniata College in a 4 p.m. tip-off.
