MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's basketball team ended the game on a 14-6 run and the Rangers defeated Susquehanna University 82-68 Wednesday evening in Baldwin Gym to remain unbeaten (5-0) in Landmark Conference play.
 
Four players scored in double figures for Drew, which overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to improve to 9-3 overall. The Rangers are now off to their best start in Landmark Conference play since the 2018-19 season.
 
The game marked a rematch of last year's Landmark Conference semifinals, which Susquehanna won 68-66.
 
Sophomore forward Matthew Zenker scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting for Drew while senior guard Josh Kline posted 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Senior guard Pat Higgins added 15 points and three steals while senior forward Peso Crump contributed 14 points. Junior forward Kevin Cronin chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.
 
Billy Anderson led Susquehanna (5-7, 2-3 LC), picked first in this year's Landmark Conference preseason poll, with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Audric Washington notched 13 points.
 
Drew led just 68-62 with 3:09 remaining before coming up big down the stretch. Kline kicked off the decisive run with a 3-pointer before Anderson dropped in a layup for the River Hawks to make it a seven-point game. But junior forward David Musial answered with a clutch tip-in before the Rangers iced the win at the foul line, where they went 9-for-10 the rest of the way, starting with a pair from Kline at the 1:14 mark.
 
Crump knocked down 3-of-4 shots from the charity stripe as Drew took an insurmountable 78-66 lead with 38 ticks showing. Higgins and senior guard Malcolm Newman also went 2-for-2 at the line inside the final 28 seconds.
 
Susquehanna led for nearly the entire first half and outscored the Rangers 11-5 over the opening five minutes. Drew rallied to take the lead (17-15) following a 12-4 surge, capped by a Cronin 3-pointer with 10:38 on the clock. But later in the half, a 10-2 River Hawk spurt put the visitors on top 37-26 with 2:35 to go in the opening period.
 
The Rangers had an answer, though, and ended the half on an 11-2 outburst. Kline powered the run with nine points, including two 3-pointers and an and-1 with nine seconds left that trimmed the gap to 39-37 at the intermission.
 
Drew trailed for only the first 16 seconds of the second half before Crump drained a 3-pointer to put his team on top for good. It was the start of eight straight points by Crump to start the period, as he nailed another triple before driving down the paint for a layup that made it a 45-39 game a minute and a half into the stanza.
 
Susquehanna twice closed to within two, the last time coming on a conventional 3-point play from Anderson with 15:51 to go that made it 48-46. But the Rangers pushed their lead to eight on a 3-ball from sophomore guard Eli Yusavage with 13:17 left, and the hosts led 60-51 following a Zenker lay-in with 12:01 showing.
 
The visitors refused to go away, however, and pulled to within three on an Anderson bucket with 5:06 remaining. But Higgins and Newman answered with consecutive baskets for Drew, setting up the team's big finish.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Saturday, when they visit No. 21-ranked Catholic University at 4 p.m. in a battle between the last two unbeaten squads in Landmark Conference play.