MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's basketball team erased a 23-point second-half deficit, but the comeback bid fell just short as The College of New Jersey edged the Rangers 103-102 in overtime of the FDU-Florham Tournament championship game Saturday evening.
 
After junior forward David Musial forced OT with a pair of free throws, the Rangers twice took the lead in the extra session, first on a lay-up from senior forward Peso Crump with 59 seconds left and later on a pair of foul shots from junior guard Devon Musial with 12 ticks showing that made it 102-101. But TCNJ's Matthew Solomon won it with a spinning jumper in the lane in the closing seconds, and the Lions stole the ensuing inbound pass to ice it.
 
David Musial scored a career-high 28 points for the Rangers while going a perfect 16-for-16 at the foul line, where he scored Drew's final four points of regulation. He tied the Landmark Conference record for free-throw percentage in a game, as Scranton's Randy Arnold also made 16 attempts without a miss in 2007. In addition, Musial's 16 free throws made tied the second-most in team history and were the most since Dave Shaw C'93 went 16-for-18 at Muhlenberg on Nov. 20, 1992. Shaw was also a perfect 16-for-16 versus Manhattanville on Jan. 11, 1992.
 
Senior guard Pat Higgins netted 24 points and shot 11-for-15 at the charity stripe for the Rangers while Crump finished with 19 points and five rebounds.
 
Jack Vreeswyk scored 24 points coming off the bench to lead TCNJ (2-0).
 
The Lions led 57-37 at the half and nudged their lead to 63-40 with 18:51 left in regulation. Drew still trailed by 21 (74-53) with 11:46 to go before embarking on an incredible 37-16 explosion down the stretch. Crump knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early in the run before sophomore guard Eli Yusavage and fifth-year guard James Anderson each connected from downtown midway through the surge.
 
A tip-in from senior guard Josh Kline pulled the Rangers to within single digits (84-75) with 5:13 left, and a steal and dunk from David Musial on the next possession made it a seven-point game.
 
TCNJ still led by seven (90-83) with just over two minutes to go before the Rangers ended regulation on a 7-0 run in which they scored all seven of their points at the foul line. Higgins split a trip to the stripe with 1:50 to go, then made a pair 30 seconds later to make it 90-86.  
 
David Musial connected on a pair of free throws with 49 ticks showing, and after the Lions missed a shot the Rangers had the chance to tie it or take the lead but turned it over. With just four seconds left, Drew was forced to foul, but TCNJ missed a pair of free throws and David Musial was fouled on a loose ball before hitting his final two foul shots to keep the comeback going for the Rangers.
 
The Lions led for most of the OT period after opening on a 7-2 spurt. TCNJ led 99-95 with 1:48 left, but Higgins drained a 3-pointer eight seconds later before Crump dropped in his go-ahead layup to make it 100-99. Solomon answered with a jumper before Devon Musial drew a foul in the paint before sinking both shots, setting up Solomon's game-winner.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair in the game's opening stages before TCNJ ended the first half on a 16-6 run to open up its 20-point advantage at the break.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Wednesday, when they travel to Farmingdale State College for a non-conference outing starting at 8 p.m.