WASHINGTON, DC - The Drew University men's basketball team held Catholic University to 14 points in the first half and went on to post a 64-54 victory in its Landmark Conference (LC) opener Saturday afternoon.

Senior guard Riley Collins led the Rangers (6-1, 1-0 LC) with 19 points and five assists while helping Drew to its fourth straight victory.

With 11 points and 12 rebounds, freshman forward Howard McBurnie, Jr. posted his first collegiate double-double for the Rangers, who were playing their first road game of the season. Senior guard Michael Boice added 13 points and six rebounds for the visitors while junior forward Lybrant Robinson contributed 12 points.

Collin Hartman led the Cardinals (1-6, 0-1 LC) with 13 points and six rebounds.

The Ranger defense allowed just six field goals in the first half, when Catholic was held to 19.4% shooting. At the other end of the court, Drew struggled early and did not make a field goal over the opening four and a half minutes. Junior forward Malachi Walker, Jr. dropped in the team's first bucket with a 3-pointer at the 15:30 mark, tying the game at 4-4.

A defensive battle continued throughout the rest of the half, which featured five ties and four lead changes. A 3-pointer from Catholic's Titus Lawrence tied the game at 14-14 with 8:22 on the clock, but the the Rangers went on to shut out the Cardinals over the rest of the period. In the meantime, Drew reeled off 10 unanswered points, starting with a lay-up from Robinson that gave his team the lead for good. Collins added four points during the run while McBurnie and sophomore guard Drew Gallagher added two apiece, giving the Rangers a 24-14 halftime advantage.

The Cardinals scored the first five points of the second half to cut the deficit in half, but that's as close as they would get. Drew led just 38-30 with 11:06 left before breaking the game open with a 14-0 surge, thanks to some torrid outside shooting. Boice kicked off the run with back-to-back 3-pointers before McBurnie and Robinson also connected from beyond the arc. Robinson capped the spurt with a pair of free throws with 6:45 left, making it 52-30. Catholic rallied late, but the comeback ran out of time.

The Rangers take seven days off from competition before hosting Wilkes University on Sunday, Dec. 15 in a non-conference tilt starting at 3 p.m.