MADISON, N.J. – Led by double-double efforts from senior centers Blake English and Cameron Cullen, and 20 second-half points from junior point guard Izel Dickerson, the Moravian College men's basketball team swept the season series with Landmark Conference foe Drew University with a 68-60 victory on the road Wednesday night.
English finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with six blocked shots, while Cullen added 10 points and 10 boards. Dickerson made 13-of-14 free throws in the second half, including 12 in a row to help the Greyhounds improve to 10-10 overall and 5-5 in the Landmark Conference.
"Feeling pretty tired after that one, but it was a great game," said English, whose six blocks added to his school-record total of now 171 for blocks in a career. "We really listened to the scouting report and watched a lot of film to get ready. We worked hard at practice and tried to get after them right away."
The start English speaks of didn't exactly go as planned. Both teams were shooting as cold as the ice that covered the roadways and vegetation just 12 hours before tipoff. The Rangers shot 28 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, but managed to take a 24-23 lead into halftime after the Greyhounds shot 30.6 percent.
English led the second-half resurgence by sharpening up his outside game. The senior big man hit a midrange jumper and followed it with a trey to give Moravian a 30-26 lead three minutes into the second half.
His teammates turned up the intensity shortly after English's burst. The Greyhounds used a 13-0 run midway through the final 20 minutes to take a 46-33 lead. Sophomore forward Matt Bosch capped the scoring spurt with a three-point play, part of his nine-point, seven-rebound performance on Wednesday.
The Rangers went on a run of their own five minutes later as a 10-0 streak cut the Moravian lead to 50-47. That's when Dickerson took over from the free throw line. The junior commenced a 12-shot freebie streak that prevented Drew from taking no bigger lead than 53-52 down the stretch.
Before Dickerson tied the contest at 53-all and eventually gave his side the lead for good, English turned the tides on the other end of the court. After a turnover, English was faced to defend a Drew two-on-one breakaway. Moravian's all-time shot block leader came up with a clutch block to turn away the Ranger opportunity and tilt the momentum in the Hounds' favor with less than three minutes to go.
"Man, was I fired up after that," English said of his sixth, and most pivotal, block of the game. "I was upset they got a two-on-one after a turnover. I said, 'I'm going to block this shot.' I went up as high as I could and just swung."
A lay-in from Cullen and Dickerson's near-perfection from the charity stripe helped get the lead back to double-digits before coming away with the 68-60 conference road victory.
The Greyhounds' percentages soared in the second half. A 50 percent mark from the floor, coupled with 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free throw line aided the Landmark victory. Moravian also out-rebounded Drew 44-38 on Wednesday night.
The Greyhounds return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8 as Landmark Conference play continues in Johnston Hall when Juniata College comes to Bethlehem for a 4 p.m. tip.