MADISON, N.J. - For the second time in three games, the Drew University men's basketball team found itself locked up in a nailbiter that came down to the final shot. However, the Rangers came up just short in this one, as Susquehanna edged the Rangers 81-78 in a Landmark Conference overtime thriller Wednesday evening in Baldwin Gym.

The River Hawks erased an 18-point first-half deficit, setting up an incredible finish that included seven ties and seven lead changes over the final 13 minutes of regulation and overtime.

The setback ended Drew's four-game winning streak, and it marked the team's first Landmark Conference regular-season loss at home since Feb. 10, 2018.

In a similar type of game back on Jan. 6, the Rangers (11-3, 2-1 LC) defeated Carnegie Mellon 86-85 on a buzzer-beater from senior guard Riley Collins.

Versus Susquehanna, Collins scored 17 points, and he also canned a pair of go-ahead 3-pointers - one in the final minute of regulation and another midway through OT. Junior forward Lybrant Robinson also scored 17 points and gave the Rangers a two-point lead when he hit a pair of free throws with 1:03 left in overtime. 

Junior forward Malachi Walker, Jr. approached a triple-double with 10 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high eight blocked shots - the most by a Ranger since John Mardy C'75 tied his own school record with 10 versus SUNY Maritime on Feb. 25, 1975. Walker blocked a shot on three consecutive possessions at one point late in the first half.

Freshman forward Howard McBurnie, Jr. added nine points and 10 rebounds while junior guard Dylan Musial posted nine points and six assists off the bench.

Danny Frauenheim posted 17 points, five assists, and four steals to lead Susquehanna (10-4, 3-0 LC).

Wes Simons put the River Hawks up 66-64 with a lay-up at the 1:27 mark of the second half. After the two sides came up empty on their next two possessions Collins drained a 3-pointer from the elbow with 22 seconds left, giving his team a 67-66 lead and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Frauenheim answered at the other end, however, dropping in a lay-up and drawing a foul with 12 ticks showing. He hit the free throw to complete the 3-point play and put Susquehanna up 69-67. But the visitors would foul senior guard Michael Boice as he broke Susquehanna's press, and he would knock down a pair of 1-and-1 free throws. He also went 2-for-2 at the line in a similar situation with nine seconds left versus Carnegie Mellon, when he also went 2-for-2.

Lukas Yurasits attempted a 3-pointer at the buzzer from the left corner for Susquehanna, but it was rejected by Walker.

Drew led three times in the extra session - on a triple from Collins at the 2:16 mark (74-71), a lay-up from Boice (76-74) with 1:41 to go, and on Robinson's late foul shots. But Susquehanna would score on its final five possessions.

Robinson's points put the Rangers up 78-76, but Matt LaCorte hit a jumper with 52 seconds remaining to even the score. After Drew misfired on the ensuing possession, Frauenheim was fouled in the backcourt and went on to hit a pair of go-ahead free throws with 24 seconds left. The Rangers turned it over on their next trip down the court before Frauenheim made 1-of-2 foul shots with six seconds remaining. Collins rebounded the second shot and pushed the ball up the floor, but Walker's last-second 3-pointer from the top of the arc was off the mark.

An 18-0 Ranger run spanning five minutes put Drew up 29-12 with 6:37 left in the opening half. Six different players scored during the outburst, with the last five coming from Robinson on a 3-pointer and a fast-break lay-up.

Drew still led by 18 following a triple from Collins with 1:43 left in the period before the River Hawks closed the half on a 7-0 spurt to make a 34-23 game at the half. Walker collected five of his swats in the stanza.

Susquehanna continued its run into the second half, scoring the first five points of the period to trim the deficit to six. The Rangers edged the lead back to nine on three occasions, but the visitors used a 9-0 run midway through the half to take their first lead (55-54) since early in the game, setting up the tremendous finish.

Drew picks up its schedule on Saturday, when it visits Goucher College at 2 p.m. in another Landmark Conference affair.