SCRANTON, Pa. – The Drew University men's basketball team dropped an 86-69 decision at the University of Scranton in a Landmark Conference match-up Wednesday evening.
 
The Rangers (9-7, 1-4 LC) trailed just 28-24 with 6:59 left in the first half before the Royals used a 16-0 run to open up a gap.
 
Junior guard James Anderson paced the Rangers with a season-high 17 points and four assists while shooting 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Howard McBurnie, Jr. posted his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Drew.
 
Stephen Braunstein led Scranton (11-5, 3-2 LC) with 28 points.
 
The Rangers led just once, when freshman forward Kevin Cronin nailed an early 3-pointer to make it 3-2. However, they kept it close early on, and a 3-pointer from senior guard Mario Haklaj tied it at 14-14 with 11:33 on the clock.
 
It was a two-point game when Anderson drilled a 3-pointer with 8:36 to go, and a triple from sophomore guard Papie Roberts made it 28-24 before the Royals went on their aforementioned run. Scranton led 44-30 at the half.
 
A 3-pointer from senior forward Michael Kane pulled Drew to within 46-33 less than a minute into the second half. But Scranton answered with an 8-2 spurt to go back up by 19. A lay-up from McBurnie made it a 54-39 game with 15:44 left, but the Royals answered again, using a 9-2 run to pull away.
 
Drew plays its first home game in two weeks on Saturday, when it takes on Catholic University in a Landmark Conference affair beginning at 4 p.m.