WASHINGTON – Sophomore guard Eli Yusavage drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime and the Drew University men's basketball team rallied from 16 points down in the second half – and from eight down in the final minute – to beat No. 21 Catholic University Saturday afternoon in a battle between the top two teams in the Landmark Conference standings.
 
Yusavage scored 18 of his career-high 20 points in the second half or overtime while shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point land. All four of his 3-pointers occurred during the final 6:13 of regulation, including his game-tying shot over a defender from the top of the arc.
 
On a day full of heroes, senior guard Josh Kline scored eight straight points in the final minute of regulation while finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds. Classmate Pat Higgins posted 18 points – including a go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime – to go with nine rebounds and six assists while senior guard Malcolm Newman contributed eight points, including six in overtime.

Sean Neylon paced the Cardinals (10-3, 5-1 LC), the defending Landmark Conference champions, with 15 points while Justin Green posted 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Rangers (10-3, 6-0 LC) have now tied their best start in conference play since the 2018-19 season. They now sit alone in first place in the Landmark standings.
 
Drew's last two trips to Catholic have resulted with the Rangers walking away with a win over a nationally-ranked opponent. On Feb. 10 of last season, the Blue and Green earned a 96-81 road victory over the Cardinals, who were ranked No. 15 at the time.
 
It was the third epic comeback in the last four years for the Rangers versus Catholic. In the semifinals of the 2022 Landmark Conference Championships, Drew ended the game on a 21-0 run to win 60-58, and the following year the Rangers erased a 25-point deficit, though the Cardinals ultimately won 96-90 in double overtime.
 
The Rangers, who entered the game ranked sixth in Division III in scoring offense (90.6 ppg), trailed 47-31 with 10:59 remaining. But that's when they found they offensive spark, powered by some torrid outside shooting. Drew also entered the game ranked fourth in Division III in 3-pointers per game (11.8) and cashed in from beyond the arc down the stretch, where it shot 8-for-11 during a 34-18 game-ending run.
 
Junior forward David Musial kicked off the big rally with his lone 3-pointer of the night, but the Rangers still trailed 53-40 with 7:04 to go. However, Drew put on a shooting exhibition down the stretch, draining six 3-pointers on seven attempts. Yusavage connected on back-to-back treys to make it 53-46 before Higgins splashed home his first 3-ball with 4:48 remaining, making it 53-49. Then with 3:45 left, Yusavage connected from NBA range with the shot clock winding down to pull the Rangers to within 56-52.
 
Catholic scored the next four points to open up some breathing at 60-52 with 3:01 left, which is how the score remained until a frantic final minute.
 
Kline sparked Drew's final push with a trifecta at the 57-second mark and gave the Rangers possession with a steal five seconds later. He hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game (60-57), and after a Catholic bucket, he sunk another 3 to make it a 62-60 game with 26 seconds to go.
 
Green split a trip to the foul line a second later for Catholic before Higgins drove in for a lay-up to make it 63-62 with 11 seconds left. Neylon went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe with nine ticks showing before the Rangers called timeout three seconds later. With time running out, Newman handed the ball off to Yusavage at the left elbow, where the left-hander took one dribble to his right before rising up for his game-tying shot.
 
Catholic scored the first basket of overtime, but that would turn out to be their only lead of the extra session, as the hosts came up empty on their next four possessions. In the meantime, Drew scored on its last five possessions, starting with Newman hitting a pair of free throws in a 1-and-1 situation that tied it at 67-all with 2:46 left.
 
Higgins gave the Rangers the lead for good (70-67) when he connected from downtown with 2:12 to go before senior forward Peso Crump dropped in a baby hook to make it 72-68. Newman then drove to the rack for a bucket to put his team's lead at 74-70 with 40 seconds left. After Catholic split another trip the line, Newman sealed the win with a pair of free throws at the 16-second mark. The Cardinals missed their last two shots of the game.
 
Catholic led for nearly the entire first half and used an early 8-0 run to open up a double-digit lead (19-7) with 11:13 on the clock. The Rangers pulled to within seven (23-16) on a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Matthew Zenker with 6:24 to go in the period, but the Cardinals led 37-22 at the half.
 
The hosts maintained their double-digit advantage throughout the second half, and Jamie Ntiaoah's layup gave Catholic its 16-point lead, setting up Drew's dramatic finish.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Wednesday, when they host Wilkes University at 7 p.m. in another Landmark Conference affair.