MADISON, N.J. – It took more than 39 minutes for The University of Scranton men's basketball team to take a lead against Drew University on Saturday afternoon. But when they took it in the final minute, it appeared to be the perfect moment. Unfortunately for the Royals, Drew needed just a few seconds to wipe away that lead.
Senior guard Asmar Capers (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) scored on a runner in the lane with three seconds remaining to give the Rangers a 76-75 victory and snap Scranton's five-game winning streak. Capers finished with a game-high 34 points.
With the loss, the Royals dropped to 17-7 overall and 10-3 in the Landmark Conference. They remain one game ahead of Juniata for first place and the top seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference playoffs.
The Royals were led by sophomore guard Tommy Morgan (Greenlawn, N.Y./Chaminade), who scored 21 points, including a three-point play with 24 seconds left that gave Scranton a 75-74 lead. Morgan also had four assists and four rebounds. Senior forward Luke Hawk (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) added 20 points and six rebounds, moving him into 32nd on Scranton's all-time scoring list with 1,070 career points.
Freshman guard Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, and junior guard Travis Farrell (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) had 11 points and four steals.
Scranton never led in the first half and trailed by four at halftime, 38-34. They remained within three midway through the second half, but Drew slowly pulled away, building a 71-64 lead with 2:49 to play.
The Royals began their comeback when Morgan scored on a layup, and Farrell made a quick steal and converted his own layup to cut the deficit to three, 71-68, with 1:58 to play. After another Drew turnover, Morgan scored at the 1:27 mark to make it a 71-70 Drew advantage.
Scranton got another defensive stop and Hawk made it count when he scored in the paint, giving Scranton its first lead at 72-71 with just 51 seconds remaining. Danzig blocked a shot on Drew's ensuing possession, but the Rangers chased it down and Hawk was called for a foul as Drew sophomore guard John Ford (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) attempted a 3-pointer. Ford hit all three free throws for a 74-72 lead with 32 seconds remaining.
Scranton called timeout, then inbounded the ball to Morgan, who went straight to the hoop and banked home a runner in the paint and was fouled. He made the free throw to give the Royals a 75-74 lead with 24 seconds to play.
The Rangers called timeout before eventually working the ball to Capers on the right wing. He drove into traffic and put up a running one-hander from about six feet with a trio of Scranton defenders swarming him. The ball bounced around the rim at least twice before settling through the net. Morgan's running shot just inside half-court at the buzzer failed to draw iron.
Scranton shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the floor in the second half, but was 0-for-7 from 3-point range. The Rangers were nearly as good overall, hitting on 55.6 percent (10-for-18) in the second half, but they had the touch from deep, hitting six of nine from beyond the arc.
Drew (7-17, 5-8 Landmark) also sank 19 of 20 free throws in the game, helping to overcome 16 turnovers that led to 21 points for Scranton.
The loss was Scranton's second straight at Drew. The Royals are 47-10 all-time against the Rangers.
Scranton returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 18, when the Royals travel to Bethlehem to take on Moravian at 4 p.m. The Royals can clinch the top seed and home-court advantage with a win or a Juniata loss at Susquehanna.
--ROYALS--