HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – Junior forward
Ben Manns scored a career-high 31 points and the Drew University men's basketball defended its New Jersey Small College Tournament title with a 94-84 victory over The College of New Jersey Saturday afternoon at tournament host Centenary University.
Manns, who shot 12-for-20 from the field, exceeded his previous career-high by 12 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds and handed out four assists.
Freshman guard
Dylan Napoleon added a near-perfect shooting game for Drew (2-0), scoring 16 points while shooting 6-for-6 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-3 at the foul line.
Senior guard
Taylor Perlmutter contributed 13 points while shooting 9-for-10 at the charity stripe while junior guard
Marc Herasme and sophomore guard
Erik Porch pitched in with 11 points each. Senior guard
Charlie Thornton grabbed eight rebounds.
Lucas Dipasupil led the Lions (1-1) with 27 points.
The Rangers led by as much as 21 in the first half, only to see the Lions rally to make it a five-point game (87-82) with 1:28 remaining. However, Manns responded with four crucial points, hitting a pair of free throws with 51 seconds left before throwing down a fastbreak dunk to make it a nine-point with 34 seconds left, effectively squashing the comeback.
TCNJ held an 11-0 lead just over four minutes into the game before Drew took control, outscoring the Lions 35-13 over the next 13 and a half minutes. Napoleon scored 10 points during the run while Manns and Perlmutter added eight and seven, respectively. Drew carried a 47-29 lead into the locker room.
A Manns lay-up had the Rangers up 65-48 with 12:43 left, but the Lions pulled to within single digits (69-60) with 10:20 left. However, Drew still led 82-69 with 5:28 to go following a pair of Herasme free throws.
TCNJ refused to go away, however, and a 13-5 run, capped by a conventional 3-point play from Jamari Smith, cut the gap to five, setting up Manns clutch baskets.
The Rangers play their home opener on Wednesday, when they take on Stockton University in a non-conference tilt at 7 p.m.
