WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Drew University men's basketball team pulled away in the second half and the Rangers defeated host Wilkes University 92-82 in a Landmark Conference matchup Wednesday evening.
 
With the win, the Rangers (17-5, 11-4 LC) remained tied for second place in the Landmark Conference standings and moved within one game of conference leader Catholic University.
 
Drew, which finished 3-1 over a four-match road trip, used a balanced scoring effort, as 10 Rangers found the scoring column, including five who scored in double figures.
 
Sophomore forward Ben Manns tied a career-high of 19 points to go with five rebounds for Drew while junior guards Andre De Los Reyes and Eli Yusavage netted 13 points each. Senior forward David Musial contributed 11 points and six rebounds while sophomore guard Marc Herasme pitched in with 11 points.
 
Lucas Lesko recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Colonels (13-9, 8-7 LC).
 
The Rangers led for all but 30 seconds in the game.
 
Drew went up 17-9 after Manns drained a 3-pointer, and a triple from junior guard Charlie Thornton pushed Drew's advantage to 12 (45-33) with 2:59 left in the opening half. But the Colonels made a late push to pull to within four, and the hosts trailed just 51-45 at the intermission.
 
Wilkes tied the game on two occasions in the second half, the last time coming at 53-53 with 16:48 remaining. But the Rangers proceeded to break it open with a 20-5 run to assume a 75-60 advantage with 10:16 left. Seven different players scored during the decisive stretch for Drew.
 
The game seemed to be in hand after Manns connected from beyond the arc with 4:03 left, making it 86-71. But that's when the Colonels used an 11-2 run to draw to within six with 59 ticks showing. However, Drew put the game away with four free throws, including two from Manns with 43 seconds left and two more from senior forward Kevin Cronin that set the final score 21 seconds later.
 
The Rangers return home on Saturday, when they take on Catholic in a big Landmark Conference tilt starting at 2 p.m.