MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's basketball team broke open a close game with a 20-4 run midway through the second half and the Rangers defeated Elizabethtown College 96-87 in a Landmark Conference tilt Wednesday evening in Baldwin Gym.
 
With the victory, the Rangers (21-3, 17-0) extended their school-record winning streak to 13 – two games longer than the previous program-best. Drew also finished off an undefeated regular season at home (11-0) and tied the 2021-22 team for the second-most wins in team history.
 
Senior guard Josh Kline led Drew with 19 points, six assists, and four rebounds while senior forward Peso Crump contributed 15 points and six boards. Sophomore guard Eli Yusavage also scored 15 points while shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and senior guard Malcolm Newman contributed 13 points. He also shot 7-for-8 at the foul line and iced the victory by going 6-for-6 at the stripe inside the final 31 seconds. 
 
Austin Finarelli scored 18 points to lead the Blue Jays (9-15, 6-11 LC).
 
The opening half was a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and six lead changes, with neither side leading by more than six. Elizabethtown was in front for the majority of the period, and the visitors led 39-35 with 1:45 showing before the Rangers ended the half on a 9-2 spurt, as Yusavage and Newman connected from beyond the arc before senior Pat Higgins knocked down a triple with 23 seconds left to give Drew a 44-41 halftime lead.
 
The Blue Jays held a 51-50 edge with just under 16 minutes left when the Rangers embarked on their decisive run. Kline and junior forward Kevin Cronin combined to score the first 11 points of the outburst before graduate guard James Anderson drained consecutive 3-balls to make it 67-55. Kline capped the run when he made a steal, then connected on a 3 from the corner, putting Drew up 70-55 and bringing the crowd to its feet.
 
Elizabethtown did not go quietly, however, and still trailed by only single digits inside the minute before Newman's late free throws put the game away.