HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Drew University men's basketball team outscored Juniata 55-38 in the second half and the Rangers cruised to their 10th straight victory, downing the Eagles 90-66 on the road Saturday afternoon.
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Sophomore forward
Matthew Zenker scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting – including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc – in 21 minutes off the bench for Drew (18-3, 14-0 LC), which continued to hold a one-game lead over Catholic for first place in the Landmark Conference standings. Zenker also posted five rebounds and five assists.
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The Rangers have now posted the best record in team history through 21 games and tied the second-longest winning streak ever at Drew. In addition, they are just the second team in Landmark Conference history to open 14-0, joining Catholic's 2014-15 squad.
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Junior forward
Kevin Cronin added 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting for Drew while senior guard
Malcolm Newman netted 12 points. Senior guard
Josh Kline contributed 11 points and six assists while senior forward
Peso Crump grabbed 12 rebounds.
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Ty Kocak scored 16 points to lead the Eagles (1-20, 1-13 LC).
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Juniata led by 12-8 midway through the first half before Rangers used a 14-0 run to seize a 10-point lead (24-14) with 7:03 to go in the period. Zenker scored six points during the run, including a 3-pointer and fastbreak dunk, while Crump added a slam of his own off a Zenker feed. Newman capped the run with a 3-pointer.
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The Rangers nudged their lead to 11, but the Eagles rallied to make it a four-point game before junior guard
Devon Musial nailed a 3-ball with 16 seconds left to give the Blue and Green a 35-28 halftime advantage.
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Drew wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the second half, when it shot a blistering 65.6% from the field, including 58.3% marksmanship from 3-point land. Zenker threw down another dunk during the run, which was capped by a pair of free throws from junior forward
David Musial that made it 44-30 with 17:35 to go.
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The Rangers continued to pull away midway through the half, and their lead swelled to 22 (63-41) following a 12-4 run that was capped by a triple from graduate guard
James Anderson with 10:30 to go. Drew went on to score 27 points in the final 9:33, including back-to-back treys from Zenker that gave the Rangers a 26-point lead (78-52) with 4:50 showing.
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Drew continues its season on Wednesday, when it visits Wilkes in another Landmark Conference outing starting at 7 p.m.
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