MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's basketball team withstood a second-half comeback and pulled away in the closing minutes to earn an 82-78 victory over Moravian University in its Landmark Conference opener in front of a boisterous crowd at Baldwin Gym Wednesday evening.
 
With the win, the Rangers improved to 6-0 for the first time in team history.
 
Drew led by as much as 11 late in the first half and held a 41-33 halftime advantage before the Greyhounds (2-3, 0-1 LC) climbed back into in the second period.
 
The Rangers forced Moravian into 25 turnovers and racked up 19 steals, tying the second-most in program history, while scoring 18 points off those miscues.
 
Moravian out-rebounded Drew 40-30 but the Rangers pounded the glass for 16 offensive boards, leading to 16 second-chance points.
 
Senior guard Andrew Turco led the Rangers with 17 points, including six of the team's final 12. Sophomore forward David Musial added his third straight double-double, posting a career-high 15 points and 12 rebounds to go with a career-best five steals. Sophomore guard Josh Kline and senior guard James Anderson came off the bench to score 14 points each, with Kline also contributing five steals, while junior guard Papie Roberts chipped in with 11 points.
 
The Greyhounds received 32 points and 14 rebounds from Marquis Ratcliff.
 
The Rangers trailed 73-70 with 3:21 left before using a decisive 8-0 run to open up some breathing room. Turco kicked off the spurt with a put-back before Musial picked off an inbound pass and dropped in a lay-up to give Drew a lead (74-73) it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
 
Kline knocked down a pair of free throws with 2:21 showing to make it a three-point game before Turco converted off the offensive glass again, tipping in a shot to give the Rangers a 78-73 advantage with 1:39 left.
 
Moravian scored a bucket and went 1-for-2 at the line to draw to within 78-76 with 56 seconds remaining. The Rangers then milked the shot clock before Musial converted yet another Drew put-back, making it 80-76 with just 27 ticks showing.
 
After Turco split a pair of free throws, the Greyhounds went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it a one-possession game (81-78) with six seconds left. But Turco sealed it when he hit the front end of a 1-and-1 with 0.6 seconds left to set the final score.
 
It was a close game in the early going before the Rangers used a 9-0 run to open up a 31-19 lead with 5:41 on the clock. Kline scored five points during the spurt before Anderson capped the run with one of his four 3-pointers on the night.
 
David Musial dropped in a fastbreak layup to make it 41-31 before Ratcliff hit a pair of throws with 28 seconds left to pull the Greyhounds within eight at the half.
 
Moravian came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Rangers 7-2 to draw within three. The visitors came all the way back to tie it with 13:36 left and would on take the lead, but they were never able to go up by more than three.
 
The Rangers return to Landmark Conference action on Saturday, when they visit Goucher College in a 2 p.m. tip-off.