MADISON, N.J. (Jan. 16, 2016) – A capacity Baldwin Gymnasium bore witness to a monumental Drew University men's basketball team victory, 76-74, over the nationally ranked and previously undefeated No. 11 Susquehanna University, in a pivotal Landmark Conference contest that took place on Saturday afternoon.
 
The momentous win came due in part to senior guard Mike Klinger, who pioneered the Ranger (9-7, 6-2) effort with another big point total and clutch baskets down the stretch. With 21 points on the day, Klinger has collected 162 points over his last seven games. Senior center Kevin-Michael Miller was at his most effective today. Miller registered season highs with 13 points and eight rebounds and was a stalwart defender throughout. Senior guard Kevin Herring II logged 14 points in the victory including a pivotal 3-pointer in the closing minutes. Freshman guard Darius Reiter worked in a career-high 10 points.
 
The decisive basket came off the hands of sophomore forward Blaine Taylor, whose only points were the most important. He established his presence in the paint and created space off the ball, away from Crusaders (15-1, 6-1). Junior guard Joey Feinberg and senior guard Brian McLaughlin exchanged snappy passes before working it inside to Taylor, who calmly clamped down on the Rangers lead with a touch off the glass. The basket gave Drew a 76-74 lead that would hold for the final six seconds of play.
 
Drew's first lead of the second half, which came with just five minutes to go, came in exhilarating fashion. Following a possession where Klinger set up McLaughlin for a deep 3 that trimmed the deficit to one point, Klinger came back down. This time he drove, tucking the ball into his body and lowering his head, only to explode back up and toward the rim. Complementing his physicality with finesse, Klinger ushered in a layup, drawing a foul in the process. Following the basket, Drew led by one.
 
Clutch 3-pointers peppered the closing minutes. With one minute left, Herring II got in on the action, draining one from the corner and giving Drew a 70-69 lead and forcing a Crusader timeout. The exclamation point on the Rangers' resurgence came when Miller pump-faked from underneath the basket, he ate the contact and dripped in the bucket. The and-one 3-point play gave Drew the all-important two-possession lead, 73-69 with 41 seconds.
 
Sensing that the contest was in danger of slipping away as Drew trailed 53-43 with 10 minutes left, Head Coach Daryl Keckler subbed in freshman forward Chatham Studer and Feinberg. Studer's aggressive post defense on the Crusader big man forced the ball back into Drew's hands. Feinberg drilled Drew's first 3-pointer of the half and Herring II soon followed. Studer then kept the eventual 10-2 run going with a layup and closed the gap the Crusaders had created.
 
In the opening 20 minutes, nearly half of Drew's successful field goals came courtesy of Klinger's shooting touch. For a time, it appeared as though he couldn't miss, draining 3's, mid-range 2's, and aggressive layups in bunches. The all-around effort led to 15 points by half's end.
 
With Klinger at the helm the Ranger offense showed signs of a team who had properly prepared before its first match with a nationally ranked opponent this year. Drew matched Susquehanna's physicality. The Crusaders still shot well, (50% from the field) but Drew shortened the frequency with which those baskets occurred. The Rangers doubled the Crusaders 3-point conversions and committed smart fouls, sending the Crusaders to the line for shots they struggled to sink.
 
By the end of it all, Drew trailed 36-33 at halftime. The Rangers weren't simply hanging with the Crusaders but showed signs of surpassing them for the lead.
 
By the end of the contest, Drew had attempted 15 more field goals than its counterpart. Despite shooting at a lower percentage -- 46% versus 56%, Drew still netted more baskets. The Rangers nailed twice as many shots from the outside (12-6) than Susquehanna. Drew also pulled down 31 rebounds to the Crusaders' 29.
 
The Rangers will receive a brief break from conference play after having knocked off the first place team. They are set to do battle with Widener University as the opener of a three-game road trip. The game, which is slated for a 7:00 p.m. tip on Jan. 18, will be the last non-conference contest of the season.