MADISON, N.J. – Five players scored in double figures and the Drew University men's basketball team hit the century mark in its home opener, topping Centenary (N.J.) University 100-74 in a non-conference matchup Tuesday evening in Baldwin Gym.
The Rangers (2-0) led by four at the half before pulling away in the second period, when they outscored the Cyclones 54-32. It was Drew's first 100-point game since its 117-69 win over Moravian on Feb. 16, 2022.
Junior guard
Josh Kline led Drew with big overall performance, posting 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and five steals in just 24 minutes off the bench. Junior guard
Papie Roberts added 19 points and six rebounds while junior forward
Peso Crump posted his first double-double as a Ranger with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. Junior guard
Pat Higgins contributed 11 points and five assists while senior guard
Andrew Turco notched 11 points and five boards.
Naire Preston led Centenary with 17 points.
The Cyclones led 12-6 three and a half minutes into the game. Drew came back to tie it on a Higgins lay-up that made it 20-20, and the rest of the half was a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and seven lead changes. The Rangers took the lead for good with a late 8-0 run, capped by a touchdown pass from Turco to Kline that made it 46-40 with 38 ticks showing. Centenary scored the final bucket of the half to make it 46-42 heading into the locker room.
The visitors edged to within two after scoring the first basket of the second half, but that's when the Rangers began to pull away. A 13-3 run put the hosts up 59-47 with 15:50 on the clock, and they would lead by at least eight the rest of the way. Centenary last trailed by single digits at 65-56 with 12:06 to go before Drew broke it open with a 16-5 outburst that bumped the lead to 20 with 8:23 to go. Kline and Roberts scored all but three points during the decisive stretch, and the Rangers led by at least 17 the rest of the way.
Drew returns to action this weekend with the Rose City Classic, co-hosted this year by Drew and FDU-Florham. The tournament opens at FDU-Florham on Friday, with FDU and Pratt playing at 6 p.m. before the Rangers take on John Jay at 8 p.m. The consolation and championship games will take place at 4 and 6 p.m. on Saturday at Drew.
