MADISON, N.J. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit with under 12 minutes to play to post an 87-80 victory at Drew University in Landmark Conference action Wednesday evening as the Greyhounds finished their four-game road trip undefeated.
The Hounds are now 17-7 overall and 10-3 in Landmark Conference play. Moravian is in a three-way tie with Susquehanna University and The University of Scranton after the Royals defeated the River Hawks Wednesday, and all three are at 10-3 in conference action heading into the regular season finale on Saturday, February 18.
The 17 wins for Moravian also mark just the eighth time in the 80-years of the program that the Greyhounds have won 17 games in a season, the last time was in 2007-08, the debut of the Landmark Conference and Moravian's second-ever trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Moravian's 4-0 road trip marks the first time since the 1996-97 season that the Greyhounds have won four straight road conference games, and second-year Head Coach Justin Potts was a freshman on the 1996-97 team.
Moravian had four players in double figures with senior forward Brandon McGuire picking up his 12th double-double of the season and 30th of his career with 19 points and 12 boards to go with three steals. McGuire raised his career totals to 1,257 points and 724 rebounds as he moved into 12th in school history in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
Senior guard Sean Hanna and freshman guard C.J. Barnes each tossed in 14 points for the Greyhounds while sophomore guard Jimmy Murray netted 13 points. Barnes also had four rebounds while Hanna grabbed three boards.
Sophomore forward Oneil Holder contributed nine points and five rebounds for Moravian while freshman forward John Hargraves had eight boards, three boards and a pair of blocked shots. Sophomore forward Jake McGee added four points and four boards while junior guard Khalil Rhett had three points. Senior guard Isaiah Jennings had two rebounds and a point while sophomore guard Will Brazukas dished out five assists to go with a pair of steals.
Moravian finished with a 43-38 edge in rebounds, and the Greyhounds were 18-of-22 at the foul line while the Rangers were just 11-of-18. The Hounds also forced Drew into 14 turnovers while only committing nine miscues.
Holder opened the scoring for Moravian but Drew would net the game's next nine points for a 9-2 lead just over two minutes into action. The Rangers pushed that edge to eight points twice before the Greyhounds closed within a point, 25-24, on a jumper by Holder with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Drew moved back ahead by six points before Moravian climbed within a point on three occasions, the final time at 41-40 with 3:48 left in the first half after a Hargraves lay-up. However, the Rangers scored seven of the final eight points in the half including a three-pointer at the buzzer to head to the locker room with a 48-41 lead over the Blue and Grey.
Drew started the second half with a quick three-pointer to push its advantage into double figures. Moravian answered with two baskets by McGuire and a three-pointer by Barnes to get within three-points, 51-48, with 16:40 still to play. The Rangers pushed back and had a 64-52 lead with 11:42 on the clock. Murray connected on a lay-up before McGee hit two free throws and a lay-up to cut the deficit to six points. McGuire followed with a lay-up and a jumper from Barnes had the Greyhounds within two points, 64-62, with 7:26 to play.
Drew didn't make things easy as the Rangers moved back ahead by seven before a three-point play by Rhett and a three-pointer by Hanna knotted the score at 72-72 with 4:34 remaining. McGuire scored on a put-back basket on Moravian's next possession as the Hounds took the lead, and another lay-up by McGuire at 3:48 gave the Greyhounds the lead for good. Up just three in the final 30 seconds, both Hanna and Murray each stepped to the foul line to sink two free throws and seal the victory.
Moravian is slated to close out its 2016-17 regular season on Saturday, February 18 when the Greyhounds welcome The Catholic University of America for a Landmark Conference game tipping off at 4:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall. The Hounds will also be hosting their annual Senior Day prior to the game.