KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 3, 2014) – A ferocious 18-2 run in the second half led by lights out three-point shooting by junior guard Kevin Herring II propelled the Drew University men's basketball team to an 88-71 win at The United States Merchant Marine Academy in the Landmark Conference opener on the road Wednesday evening.
 
Herring (21 points, 5-of-8 three-pointers) was one of three Rangers scoring 20 or more points against the Mariners, and he single handedly shifted the tone of a once back-and-forth game toward a comfortable lead for Drew in the second half. The junior drained three consecutive field goals from beyond the arc and scored 11 straight points to help Drew (4-2, 1-0 Landmark) take as much as a 19-point lead with nine minutes to play in the game. Merchant Marine fell to 1-5, 0-1 with the loss.
 
In a game that saw 11 lead changes and seven ties, neither side led by more than six and Drew took just a 38-37 lead into halftime. Junior guard Ozan Yucetepe led the way in the first half, scoring all 20 of his points during the opening 20 minutes aided by 5-of-6 shooting from three-point land. Junior guard Mike Klinger scored a game-high 26 points with phenomenal percentages in all three areas of the court (9-of-16 FG, 3-of-5 3-pt FG, 5-of-5 FT).
 
As a team, the Rangers shot 60-percent from the floor and made 14-of-22 from downtown for a .636 percentage. Drew kept the theme of high percentages consistent from the free throw line with a 14-of-19 mark (74 percent). The 14 three-pointers are tied for sixth most in a single game in school history, the second time the Rangers cracked the top 10 in the category this season. The first was setting a new school record with 22 on Nov. 16 against Penn State Abington.
 
While Drew was heating up from the perimeter, USMMA was busy winning the battle down low with a 34-24 advantage in points in the paint. However, the Rangers outrebounded the Mariners 31-25 as the home time tried to get back into the game with the three-pointer. USMMA hit just 4-of-21 attempts from long range.
 
Klinger added six assists in the victory, while senior guard Steve Hydzik picked up significant minutes and ended up leading the team with seven rebounds on Wednesday.
 
Merchant Marine's David Smith led three Mariners in double-figures with 20 points and six boards.
 
Drew returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 6 with a Landmark Conference road game at Goucher College at 7:00 p.m., live on the Landmark Digital Network.