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.
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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.
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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.
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Zay Freeney led the Violets with 27 points and seven rebounds.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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