MADISON, N.J. – For the second game in a row, the Rangers took one of the top teams in the Landmark Conference down to the wire but came up short once again, falling 84-82 to the University of Scranton in an overtime thriller at Baldwin Gym Wednesday evening.
 
Senior forward Howard McBurnie, Jr. posted his 10th double-double of the season with 29 points and 16 rebounds to lead Drew (11-11, 3-8 LC), which was coming off a two-point loss on a buzzer-beater at Susquehanna University – which is now in second place in the Landmark Conference – this past Saturday. Scranton (15-7, 7-4 LC) is currently tied for third in the conference standings.
 
Jackson Danzig scored 27 points for the Royals and put his team up 83-81 with a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left. McBurnie was fouled while accepting a pass into the post with 25 ticks showing, and he hit 1-of-2 foul shots to make it a one-point game.
 
With the shot clock turned off, the Rangers were forced to foul, and EJ Matthews-Spratley was touched near midcourt. He would make the first but miss the second, and McBurnie grabbed the rebound before the Rangers called timeout with 11.8 seconds left. McBurnie then attempted a deep 3-pointer from the left wing in the closing seconds, but it bounced off the backboard and the rim and Will McLoughlin secured the rebound for Scranton as time expired.
 
McLoughlin also finished with a double-double on 10 points and 11 rebounds while Matthews-Spratley netted 14 points.
 
Junior guard Andrew Turco added 17 points for Drew while senior guard Mario Haklaj added 12 points off the bench. Senior forward Michael Kane came up big in the clutch, scoring all 10 of his points in the final 9:05 of regulation and overtime.
 
The Rangers jumped out to an early 11-5 lead, but Scranton rallied to take the lead midway through the opening half. The Royals led by six on two occasions, but junior guard James Anderson canned a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to Draw the Rangers to within 41-38 at the half.
 
Scranton nudged its lead back to six three and a half minutes into the second stanza, only to see the Rangers rally with a 9-0 spurt to assume a 52-49 lead with 12:42 left. McBurnie fueled the run with six points while Haklaj added a triple during the stretch.
 
The remainder of regulation was a nip-and-tuck affair that featured four lead changes and four ties. Kane converted a driving lay-up in traffic that put his team up 73-72, then splashed home a trey from the right elbow to deadlock the score at 76-all with 2:43 left.
 
The Rangers held the Royals scoreless on their final three possessions, as Scranton went 0-for-3 from the field while Drew corralled the defensive board on all three misses. At the other end, McBurnie missed a hook shot with 15 seconds left before Matthews-Spratley misfired on a long jumper in the closing seconds, with Turco snaring the rebound.
 
Scranton never trailed in the extra session after McLoughlin made a pair of free throws 28 seconds in. But Kane struck again, first scoring on give-and-go from McBurnie to tie it at 78-78 with 2:49 left.
 
The Rangers twice had a chance to go ahead after a Scranton turnover and miss, but Drew missed a shot and committed a turnover on the ensuing possessions. Jon Spatola then made a big play for Scranton, picking off a pass and taking it coast-to-coast for a lay-up while drawing a foul. He would complete the and-1 to make it 81-78 with 1:26 left.
 
Kane drilled a 3 from the right corner to tie it at 81 apiece, setting up the big finish.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Saturday, when they take on Goucher College at 4 p.m. in another Landmark Conference tilt on Senior Day.