Drew Men's Hoops Works Overtime For Third Win In Four Games

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - Big shots, big plays and a career game from Mike Mayes helped the Rangers pick up their third win in four games with an impressive road victory over Montclair State, 74-71. Mayes finished with 28 points, including the free throw that forced overtime, and Kyle Joyce hit four three pointers en route to 15 points. McNeil Wrice had a key rebound and free throw in overtime to secure the non-conference victory. Drew improves to 6-12 on the season and has now won three of four and four of six in the second half of January. Montclair falls to 9-10 on the season despite Brendan Holland’s 18 points.

The start was not kind to the Rangers as they trailed early and often. Drew was down 7-0, 9-2 and 14-4 before they got going in the game. When Brendan Holland made it 16-7 to the Red Hawks with 12:34 left in the half, the Rangers finally sparked to life. Lucas Levenson started a short rally with a layup off Mike Mayes’ nice assist at 12:16. One minute later, Mayes set up Kyle Joyce for a three to make it 16-12. On Drew’s next possession, Travis DeNapoli found Joe Horvath for a three that not only brought the lead down to one, but also forced the Red Hawks into a timeout.

Montclair was able to bounce its lead back up to six three times during the half, but each time the Rangers were able to pull some points back through Pat Dorsey, Mike Mayes and another three from Joyce. The hosts looked like they would enter the half with a six point lead, but again Joyce knocked down a three off a Mayes assist, this time as the buzzer went off to make it 30-27.

Drew carried that momentum into the second half as they took charge of the game from the start of the period. Evan Elberg cut the Red Hawk advantage to one by opening the half with a layup and Mayes gave Drew its first lead of the game with a three point play on the next possession. Montclair retook the lead after a jumper from Rodney Freeney and a free throw from Ken Dudley, but Drew would respond with a significant run. Terrell Brown scored off McNeil Wrice’s assist to give Drew a 34-33 lead with 17:07 left. After a Mayes free throw, the junior’s steal and slick fast break pass set up Elberg’s layup. On the next possession, Levenson dropped a dime on Wrice’s layup to put Drew up 39-33. Mayes followed with a jumper and two free throws that offset a Freeney jumper as the Rangers extended their lead to eight.

That eight point lead would reach ten on Mayes’ layup with 12:27 left, but the Red Hawks would quickly drag the game back to two points on a pair of three pointers. Drew entered the final eight minutes of play with a four point lead. For the next two minutes the teams scored only from the foul line before Elberg found Levenson on the break with 6:15 left to make it 54-49. After more free throws, Drew was looking to hold onto a five point lead for the final three minutes of play.

Unfortunately for Drew, the Red Hawks hit two more threes, from Tom Bonard and Freeney, to put the hosts up by one entering the final minute of play, 61-60. Drew got a stop on Montclair’s next possession, but then turned it over with a chance to take the lead. Montclair’s Brendan Holland missed the front end of a one-and-one giving the Rangers another chance. This time, Joyce made it count by drilling his fourth triple of the game off Mayes’ assist to make it 60-58 with 24 seconds left. The Red Hawks struck back once again as John Bryne responded with a three pointer of his own to give his team a one point lead heading into the final ten seconds of play.

With three seconds left, Mayes was fouled and sent to the line with a chance to win it. The Ranger missed the first, but hit the second to send it to overtime.

The extra period went much like the second half. After McNeil Wrice missed the opening shot, Elberg grabbed the offensive rebound and found Terrell Brown who missed his first, but put in his second chance to give Drew a two point lead. Brown then stripped Bryne of the ball and found Mayes on the break for a four point lead. After a stop and then a Joyce steal, the Rangers took a six point lead through another Mayes layup with three minutes left.

The Rangers were doing everything correctly, but still could not shake the Red Hawks. A jumper from Freeney made it 67-63 and Holland’s layup brought it down to two with two minutes left. Once again it was Joyce who came through with a key basket as the junior sharpshooter turned in Brown’s nice assist to put Drew up by four with 1:47 left. And once again, the Red Hawks knocked down a three pointer to quiet the Ranger response this time through Tom Bonard with 1:23 left.
The Rangers took their time on their next possession working the clock down to 50 seconds before Mayes took a jumper. He missed, but Brown grabbed another offensive rebound and sent it right back to Mayes who made no mistake with a jumper inside the paint to make it 71-68. Elberg hit two free throws to make it five, but, once again, Bryne hit a three point to pull the Red Hawks back to within too close.

The Rangers made their lead even more tenuous by turning it over with eight seconds left, but, for once, the Red Hawks missed a key three pointer and McNeil Wrice hauled down the board. Fouled, Wrice hit one of two with one second left and the Rangers were able to walk out with an impressive road victory over an NJAC squad. The Red Hawks had been 7-3 at home and 6-0 in non-conference home games before the Rangers crashed the party.

Mayes’ career high of 28 included some very impressive shooting. The junior guard hit 9-15 from the field and 10-13 from the line while also recording five assists. Kyle Joyce was the only other Ranger in double figures with 15 points on 5-9 shooting, 4-7 from behind the arc, and five rebounds. Levenson had his second straight strong game with nine points and eight rebounds. Though Brown had just six points, but chipped in with six assists and nine crucial rebounds. Bonard and Byrne each had 14 points in addition to Freeney’s 18 for the Red Hawks.

At 6-12 on the season, but 3-1 over their last four, the Rangers look ahead to a key conference weekend against Moravian and Scranton.

Story provided by Drew Sports Information