It was a back-and-forth game the whole way, but Drew managed to lead by as much as 11 points in the second half after Bob Carella made a three-pointer with 9:26 left in the game.
But the Devils mounted a comeback, outscoring the Rangers 12-1 over the next 6:05 to knot the game at 49-49. During that stretch, the Devils scored 10 of their points from the foul line, making 10-out-of-12.
With the game tie at 51-51 with just 31 seconds left to play, FDU junior forward Pierre Schmitt (Park Ridge, NJ) was fouled in the act of shooting after he pulled down an offensive rebound. Schmitt made both his free throws to give the Devils a 53-51 edge.
Drew’s Chris Lopez missed a runner off the glass with eight seconds left, and when FDU’s junior guard Brian Dillon (West Orange, NJ) grabbed the rebound, he was fouled immediately.
Dillon made the first free throw and missed the second, leaving the Devils with a three-point lead.
Drew managed to get two three-point attempts off before the buzzer, but did not connect on either.
For FDU, junior center Brian Rimol (Randolph, NJ) shared the team-lead with 13 points, going 7-for-8 from the foul line. He pulled down 11 boards for his first career double-double. Freshman guard Ryan McPherson (West Orange, NJ) also chipped in 13 markers. He grabbed 10 boards, registering his first double-double.
For Drew, David Cramer had a team-high 10 points. Damon DiLorenzo added seven points and a team-high nine-rebounds.
FDU will host King’s at 3:00 pm for their final game of the season.
Newspaper Box Score Drew University Rangers vs FDU-Florham 2/14/06 8:01 pm at Madison, NJ Ferguson Rec Center At Madison, NJ Ferguson Rec Center FDU-FLORHAM 54, DREW UNIVERSITY RANGERS 51 DREW UNIVERSITY RANGERS (9-14, 4-8 Frdm) David Cramer 4-6 0-0 10; Dave Pepperman 4-9 0-1 8; Bob Carella 3-7 0-0 7; Sam Taub 1-5 5-7 7; Chris Lopez 2-13 1-3 7; Damon DiLorenzo 3-7 0-0 7; Gerard Mullin 2-5 0-0 4; Dennis Mayes 0-2 1-2 1; Scott Miller 0-1 0-0 0; Mike Amalfie 0-1 0-0 0; Steve Natoli 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 19-60 7-13 51. FDU-FLORHAM (6-18, 3-10 Frdm) Brian Rimol 3-8 7-8 13; Ryan McPherson 5-9 1-2 13; Frank Emslie 3-8 2-4 10; Pierre Schmitt 1-10 6-6 8; Cody Chalmers 1-4 0-0 3; Andrew Biancosino 0-1 2-2 2; Matt Cushing 1-4 0-0 2; James McClendon 1-1 0-0 2; Brian Dillon 0-7 1-2 1. Totals 15-52 19-24 54. Drew University Rangers....... 30 21 - 51 FDU-Florham................... 28 26 - 54 3-point goals-Drew University Rangers 6-18 (Chris Lopez 2-7; David Cramer 2-3; Bob Carella 1-1; Damon DiLorenzo 1-3; Steve Natoli 0-2; Gerard Mullin 0-2), FDU-Florham 5-16 (Ryan McPherson 2-2; Frank Emslie 2-6; Cody Chalmers 1-2; Matt Cushing 0-3; Brian Dillon 0-1; Andrew Biancosino 0-1; Pierre Schmitt 0-1). Fouled out--Drew University Rangers-None, FDU-Florham-None. Rebounds-Drew University Rangers 40 (Damon DiLorenzo 9), FDU-Florham 43 (Brian Rimol 11). Assists-Drew University Rangers 8 (Gerard Mullin 2; Dennis Mayes 2), FDU-Florham 8 (Frank Emslie 2). Total fouls-Drew University Rangers 22, FDU-Florham 12.