NEW YORK – The Drew University men's basketball team put a scare into No. 8-ranked and undefeated New York University, building a 10-point first-half lead, but the host Violets rallied for a 75-67 non-conference victory.
 
Playing their first nationally-ranked foe of the season and their first top-10 opponent in recent memory, the Rangers (8-3) led by 10 midway through the first half and 35-32 at halftime. However, NYU (11-0) outscored Drew 43-32 in the second half, punctuated by a 14-2 run that opened up a 10-point lead for the hosts with 3:32 left.
 
Senior guard Josh Kline posted 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals for the Rangers while classmate Malcolm Newman recorded a nearly identical line of 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Junior forward Kevin Cronin pitched in with 11 points off the bench, shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point territory, and classmate David Musial grabbed eight boards.
 
Zay Freeney led the Violets with 27 points and seven rebounds.
 
Drew led for nearly the entire first half after opening the game on an 11-3 run before NYU answered with a 7-0 spurt.
 
The Rangers had a big response, however, using an 11-2 outburst to assume its 10-point advantage. Cronin kickstarted the surge with a 3-pointer before senior forward Peso Crump followed up with consecutive baskets. A pair of buckets from Newman set the score at 22-12 with 7:52 on the clock.
 
The Violets climbed back into it with a 9-2 run, making it 24-21 with 4:41 showing in the opening half. Senior guard Pat Higgins drained a triple with just under a minute left to make it 35-29, but Freeney knocked down a deep 3 of his own at the buzzer to cut the deficit in half.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the second half, as there were three ties and five lead changes over a 10-and-a-half minute stretch. NYU hit a pair of free throws with 17:59 for its first lead (39-38) since the 19:09 mark of the first half.
 
Cronin drained back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Rangers up 44-43, but the hosts answered with an 8-0 run. But Drew continued its torrid outside shooting with three more triples that powered a 9-0 run. Sophomore Eli Yusavage, graduate student James Anderson, and Kline each connected from long range to put Drew up 55-51 with 9:06 to go.
 
NYU had the final say, however, using its decisive 12-point run to pull away. The Rangers made it a two-possession game (67-61) when Kline hit a pair of free throws with 1:35 left, but the Violets iced their win at the foul line, where it went 8-for-10 over the last 48 seconds.
 
The Rangers return to Landmark Conference play on Wednesday, when they host Susquehanna University at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year's Landmark semifinals.