HUNTINGDON, Pa. (January 8, 2011) – The Rangers struggled offensively with their lowest point total of the season in an 85-48 loss to conference foe Juniata (11-3, 3-0 Landmark) this afternoon. Senior Asmar Capers (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) was the only Ranger in double figures with 15, as the Drew falls to 2-12 on the year and 0-3 in conference play.
For the Eagles, Kevin Stapleton missed only one shot from the floor, a 3-pointer, as he scored a game-high 24 points. The sophomore guard pulled down seven rebounds and was nearly perfect going 11-of-12 from the field. Alex Raymond chipped in 11 points including a 3-for-3 effort from beyond the arc.
The Rangers were far from perfect, shooting a season-low 27 percent from the floor and turning the ball over 21 times compared to 14 by Juniata. After going back and forth with the Eagles over the first five minutes of play, the home team finally took control of the contest with a 6-0 run, propelling Juniata to a 23-12 advantage with 9:16 to play in the first half. The Eagles would never again find themselves within single digits of the Rangers, and Juniata went into locker room at halftime with a 45-22 lead.
Despite an early charge in the second half sparked by a 3-pointer by Michael Chiarella (Harrison, N.J./Harrison), the Eagles were too much for the Rangers who played their second game in as many nights. Juniata worked their lead to as high as 30 points midway through the final frame on a pair of free throws. The home team outscored the Rangers 40-26 over the final 20 minutes of play.
Landmark Conference action will continue this upcoming weekend when the Rangers travel to Scranton on Friday night and then head south to Moravian on Saturday afternoon. Game times are set for 5:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively.