SCRANTON, Pa. - Senior forward
Lybrant Robinson reached the career 1,000-point plateau, but the Drew University men's basketball team was dealt its first loss of the season, a 65-56 setback at the University of Scranton in a Landmark Conference (LC) tilt Sunday afternoon.
The Rangers (2-1, 2-1 LC) put up a late rally, slashing a 27-point deficit down to nine with three minutes left. However, the comeback ran out of time as the two sides split their season series. Drew defeated Scranton 97-68 this past Friday in Baldwin Gym.
Robinson scored a team-high 13 points and reached his milestone with a lay-up late in the first half. He has now scored 431 points in 28 games at Drew after netting 576 points during his first two seasons at Delaware Valley University.
Sophomore forward
Howard McBurnie, Jr. notched his second double-double of the season for the Rangers, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Jackson Danzig registered 21 points and seven rebounds for Scranton (2-1, 2-1 LC), which trailed for only 15 seconds.
The Royals led by as much as eight in the first half, but the Rangers used a 7-0 spurt to pull to within one (21-20) on a lay-up from sophomore forward
Michael Kane with 5:17 on the clock. A bucket from senior forward
Malachi Walker, Jr. made it 23-22 with 3:48 remaining, but Scranton pushed its lead to six (34-28) at the break.
The Royals extended their advantage into double figures just over three minutes into the second half. It was an 11-point game before Scranton broke it open with a 16-0 run over a six-minute stretch midway through the stanza.
Drew refused to go quietly, however, and reeled off an 18-0 run over the next five minutes to make it 61-52 with 3:15 left. McBurnie fueled the run with 10 points, including the first seven.
Scranton held off the rally with a late defensive stand, holding the Rangers to just four points the rest of the way which included a bucket from Robinson at the buzzer.
Drew returns to action on Friday, when it visits Juniata College at 7 p.m. in another Landmark Conference affair.