ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - The Drew University men's basketball points racked up 60 points in the second half and the Rangers kicked off the second half of their Landmark Conference (LC) schedule with an 88-70 victory at Elizabethtown College Saturday afternoon.

The Rangers (13-6, 7-1 LC), who shot a blistering 66.7% in the second half, have now won nine of their last 10 games and continue to hold a half-game lead for first place in the conference standings. 

All five starters scored in double figures for the Rangers, including junior forward Howard McBurnie, Jr., who notched his 14th double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. Sophomore guard Malcolm Newman contributed 14 points and five assists while senior guard David Gervase netted 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior guards Miles Lewis and Lybrant Robinson contributed 10 points each.

Ryan Fitzpatrick led Elizabethtown (6-11, 1-6 LC) with 15 points.

It was a back-and-forth affair in a defensive-minded first half, when neither team led by more than five. The Rangers led by four in the early going before the Blue Jays went up by five (19-14) with eight minutes left in the period. However, Drew shut out Etown for nearly a four-minute stretch while scoring six straight points to reclaim the lead. The Jays nudged their lead back to three, but junior forward Michael Kane hit two free throws with 43 seconds on the clock to pull the Rangers to within a point (29-28) at the half.

Both offenses began to heat up in the opening part of the second period, and the Rangers held just a 55-52 lead with 11:59 remaining. However, that's when Drew embarked on a 14-4 run to open up a 13-point lead (69-56) with 8:38 left. Robinson started the spurt with a steal and lay-up before the Rangers dialed long distance, nailing four consecutive 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Andrew Turco and Robinson drilled one trey apiece before senior guard Drew Gallagher knocked down back-to-back triples, prompting an Etown timeout.

The Rangers continued to pull away with a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Gervase that made it 76-58 with 6:20 to go. Drew put the game away minutes later with a 10-0 run that gave the Blue and Green an insurmountable 23-point lead (86-63) with 3:24 left. Robinson and Newman started the spurt with consecutive 3s before McBurnie and Lewis tossed in one bucket each. Etown was unable to get closer than 18 the rest of the way.

Drew continues its season on Wednesday, when it visits Susquehanna University at 7 p.m. in another Landmark Conference tilt.