SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton scored 36 points at the foul line and the host Royals snapped Drew's six-game winning streak with a 79-71 victory Wednesday evening in a Landmark Conference (LC) men's basketball game. The Rangers (14-4, 6-1 LC), who suffered their first Landmark loss of the season, were led by junior guard
Riley Collins, who netted 22 points and seven assists. Drew now leads the conference standings by one game over one game over Moravian College.
How it Happened: Drew raced out to a 9-1 lead, capped by a 3-pointer from senior guard
Darius Reiter, but the Royals (15-3, 4-3 LC) fought back to take the lead midway through the half and led 33-25 at the intermission. A triple from Collins pulled the Rangers within one early in the second period, but Scranton opened up some breathing room with a 12-0 run that made it 45-32 with 14:47 left. Despite trailing by as much as 15, the Rangers refused to go away and pulled to within six on a 3-pointer from junior guard
Cole Hanntz with 71-65 to go. But that would be as close as the Rangers would get, as Scranton made 8-of-12 free throws down the stretch. Scranton's final 15 points were scored at the foul line and its last field goal came at the 7:48 mark.
Top Performers: Collins notched his fifth 20-point game of the season and handed out at least seven assists for the sixth time this year. Senior forward
Nate Aldrich posted his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds while senior forward
Sky Harris netted 11 points off the bench. Sophomore forward
Malachi Walker registered seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Stat Sheet: Drew was whistled for 35 personal fouls, and four Rangers – including three starters – fouled out. Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field (Drew – 42.9%, Scranton – 40.8%), and the Rangers held a 38-36 edge in rebounding. Nine different players scored for Drew, which tallied 23 bench points.
Next Up: The Rangers return home on Saturday, when they take on Juniata College at 4 p.m. in a Landmark Conference tilt.
