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Drew University Athletics

Riley Collins
Chris Pedota
76
Winner NJCU NJCU 3-0
72
Drew DREW-M 1-2
Winner
NJCU NJCU
3-0
76
Final
72
Drew DREW-M
1-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NJCU NJCU 33 43 76
Drew DREW-M 37 35 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Drew Drops 76-72 Heartbreaker In Rose City Classic Championship Game

MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's basketball team rallied from five points down to within one in the waning seconds of the Rose City Classic championship game on Sunday afternoon.  However, a steal and layup at the buzzer sealed a 76-72 win for NJCU (3-0) over the Rangers (1-2) at Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
NJCU led 71-66 until Brian Oehme (Brick, N.J.) drained a trey to cut the margin to two with 24 seconds left.  After James Julius hit a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game, 73-69, Yonathan Napoleon (Los Angeles, Calif.) three up a deep three that was nothing but net, pulling the Rangers within one, 73-72, at the 10-second mark.  Forced to foul in order to stop the clock, Drew sent Lavrone Green to the line with six seconds left.  He missed the first and made the second, giving the Rangers a chance to tie.  Julius stole the inbounds pass, though, and he sank a layup to close out a 76-72 victory over NJCU.
 
Julius finished with a game-high 24 points to earn a place on the All-Tournament Team.  He was joined by Napoleon, Gwynedd Mercy's Will Davis, Brooklyn's Henry O'Reilly and teammate Sam Toney, who was named tournament MVP.  Gwynedd Mercy beat Brooklyn 90-74 in the consolation game earlier on Sunday.
 
In the first half of the championship game, Drew used a 13-2 run to turn a 10-8 deficit into a 21-12 advantage.  NJCU got back within three at 28-25 with 3:22 left in the half before a Napoleon trey started a 5-0 run that pushed the Rangers' cushion back to eight points, 33-25.  The Gothic Knights trimmed the margin to two at 35-33 with 35 seconds remaining before halftime, but Sky Harris (Edison, N.J.) sank a layup as time expired put the Rangers in front 37-33 at intermission.
 
After Drew scored the first eight points of the second half to extend its lead to 45-33, NJCU responded with a 17-6 spurt to pull within one, 51-50.  However, Harris hit a layup to start a 9-2 run that brought the margin back to eight, 60-52.  The Gothic Knights countered with nine straight points, though, and NJCU eventually pushed its lead to five points at 71-66 with 32 seconds left.
 
Riley Collins (Lacey, N.J.) tallied a team-best 18 points to go along with five steals.  Napoleon finished with 17 points and four assists to earn a place on the all-tournament team.  Dan Roibal (Middletown, N.J.) contributed nine points, while Nate Aldrich (Franklinville, N.J.) pulled down a game-high nine boards.  The Rangers shot 47.7 percent (21-of-44) from the field and outrebounded the Gothic Knights 33-29.  Drew went 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from long range and 21-for-32 (65.6 percent) at the free throw line.
 
For the Gothic Knights, Julius led the way with 24 points and Toney added 12 points.  Kamal Williams registered eight points off the bench, while Nelson Goodwater III secured five rebounds.  NJCU shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor, 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from downtown, and 75 percent (18-of-24) at the charity stripe.
 
Drew returns to action on Tuesday with an 8 p.m. matchup against Vermont Tech (6-1).  The contest is the second half of a doubleheader, as the Ranger women (2-0) take on Penn State Berks (1-1) at 6 p.m.
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