MADISON, N.J. – Faced with a daunting deficit just eight minutes into the game, The University of Scranton men's basketball team put together a rally of epic proportions, then made it worth the effort with a gutsy second half in a 69-62 victory over Drew on Tuesday evening at Baldwin Gymnasium.
The 21st-ranked Royals (10-2, 3-1 Landmark) looked up at the scoreboard with 12 minutes remaining in the first half and saw a 20-3 deficit staring back. But the rest of the half was a performance they'll talk about for a while, as they outscored the Rangers, 34-11, to take a 37-31 lead into the break. Senior forward Brendan Boken (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) buried a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer to cap the run, a fitting end to a remarkable run of basketball.
But Drew (6-6, 3-1 Landmark) collected itself in the locker room and rallied back to take a 50-46 lead less than seven minutes into the second half. The Rangers eventually pushed the lead to 57-52 with 9:11 left, the culmination of what was, in total, a 15-6 run over a span of 6:30.
At that point, a five-point deficit probably seemed like a piece of cake to the Royals after their first half comeback. Indeed, they proved that to be true by going on a 10-0 run to take a 62-57 lead with 3:42 to play. Boken had five points and sophomore Mitch Cross (Marriottsville, Md./Loyola-Blakefield) buried a 3-pointer during the run.
After Drew scored a bucket to stop the run, Scranton followed with five straight points to put the game away, making the total game-clinching spurt a 15-2 edge.
Boken had another big game, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal. Junior forward John Vitkus (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Ethan Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights) buried a trio of 3-pointers en route to 13 points.
The Royals won their fifth straight despite shooting just 36 percent (9-for-25) in the second half. For the game, they shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field, including 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) from 3-point range. They also made 13 of 18 free throws (72.2 percent) and won the rebounding battle, 40-32.
Sophomore guard Kevin Doolan (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) had another solid game, finishing with nine points, five assists, four turnovers and a steal while committing just one turnover. Cross finished the night with six points, three rebounds and a steal off the bench.
Drew shot just 35.6 percent (21-for-59) from the field, including 10-for-30 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. The Rangers made 10 of 12 free throws (83.3 percent).
Scranton will be back in action on Thursday when they host 11th-ranked Susquehanna in a Landmark Conference game at 7 p.m. in the Long Center.
--ROYALS--