MADISON, N.J. – Junior guard Josh Kline posted a team-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds and the Drew University men's basketball team won its ninth straight game to open the season, topping Lycoming College 85-74 in a Landmark Conference affair Saturday afternoon in Baldwin Gym.
 
In addition to extending the team's best start in program history, the Rangers (9-0, 4-0 LC) tied the school record for the longest winning streak, equaling the mark set by the 2010-11 squad.
 
Kline reached his season-high scoring total while posting his second 20-point game of the season.
 
Four other Rangers also scored in double figures, including senior guard James Anderson, who who netted 14 points and seven rebounds while knocking down two knocked down two daggers from beyond the arc in the final two minutes to put the game away.
 
Junior forward Peso Crump added 13 points and six rebounds for Drew while junior guard Papie Roberts contributed 11 points and four assists. Senior guard Andrew Turco chipped in with 10 points.
 
Hayden Pardoe led the Warriors (4-5, 1-3 LC) with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks.
 
It was a close game in the early going before the Rangers took control with an 8-0 run midway through the opening half to assume a 25-14 with 11:30 on the clock following a 3-pointer from Crump. But Lycoming battled back to take the lead, and the final 6:37 of the period included a pair of ties and six lead changes. Crump threw down a ferocious dunk with just under four minutes left, then drilled his third and final triple of the game to put his team up 40-38 with 1:59 to go. Brendon Blackson answered with a bucket for Lyco and it was a 40-40 game at the intermission.

 Crump led the Rangers in the opening half with all of his 13 points while Pardoe scored 17 in the stanza.
 
The Warriors took their final two leads in the opening 45 seconds of the second half before sophomore forward Kevin Cronin tied it with a lay-up at the 19:08 mark. Kline then drained a trey nearly two minutes later that put his team in front (47-44) to stay.
 
It was just a four-game Drew advantage (50-46) with 15:16 to go before the Rangers erupted for a decisive second-half run for the second game in a row. Three days after breaking open its victory at Scranton with a 17-0 surge to open the second period, Drew embarked on a 10-0 run that put them in front 62-48 with 12:23 to go versus Lycoming. Kline scored the first four points of the run before Roberts, Anderson, and freshman guard Eli Yusavage dropped in two points each during the spurt.
 
The visitors would not go away, however, and trailed just 79-72 before Anderson connected on the first of his back-to-back treys to push the advantage back to double digits. After the Warriors came up empty on consecutive possession, Anderson buried his final 3-ball with 20 ticks showing.
 
The Rangers are off for finals week before visiting York (N.Y.) College next Saturday at 2 p.m. in a non-conference tilt.