In one of the biggest wins in Drew basketball history, the Rangers came back from a 17 point deficit to knock off Scranton, 53-51. Chris Lopez hit a jumper with 4.1 seconds remaining in the game to pull out the victory over one of Freedom Conference’s top teams. Drew (8-11, 3-5) trailed 31-14 at halftime, but went on a 17-1 to open the second half to shock the Royals (14-5, 6-2).
Drew struggled mightily in the first half as Scranton built up a 31-14 lead. With the Rangers hitting only 26% of their shots and Scranton controlling the boards, Drew hardly looked threatening.
The second half opened quietly as neither squad could get going. Drew didn’t score until the 17:30 mark when Chris Lopez hit one of two free throws. Lopez dropped in a lay-up a few seconds later and Bob Carella drained a three to make it 31-20. With Lopez and Carella hot, the Rangers offense started to click. David Cramer and Dave Pepperman both pulled down big rebounds to give the Rangers vital second chances and Carella helped capitalize with a three and a nice assist to Cramer to bring Drew within five at the 14:41 mark. Scranton rebuilt their lead up to eight as Michael Riccobono went coast-to-coast for a lay-up with just under ten remaining. Another lay-up by Carella and a free throw from Scott Miller brought it back down to five with seven left. The game changed for good with the entrance of Damon DiLorenzo with 6:30 minutes left to play. DiLorenzo, who has had a knack for the clutch defensive play all year, had three steals in the next three minutes and the Rangers converted them into six points. Even when he missed, DiLorenzo grabbed two offensive rebounds to keep the Rangers in the game. The sophomore guard hit a jumper with 2:15 remaining to give the home side a two point lead, 48-46.
The teams traded foul shots over the next two minutes as Drew held a slight 51-48 edge with 15 seconds remaining in the game. All the hard work by the Rangers seemed lost when Randy Arnold, the Freedom Player of the Week whom Drew held to just five points in the game, drilled a long three to tie the game at 51-51.
The Rangers have felt the pain of some many tough losses this season, having dropped six games by six points or less, but this time the young squad pulled out the upset. Chris Lopez took control and drained a pull-up jumper with a hand in his face to win the game for the Rangers. Scranton had a chance, but Arnold’s three pointer at the buzzer went long.
Lopez finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals. DiLorenzo had nine points, four rebounds and the three crucial steals. With Sam Taub plagued by foul trouble for most of the game, the play of Dave Pepperman (five points, five rebounds) and David Cramer inside was vital to the win. Carella had 12 points and seven boards. Nine of those points came in the second half.
Scranton was led by Bill Burke with nine points and Ryan Kirk and Paul Hawk with eight apiece.