Royals Basketball Taken Down in Landmark Championship

by Luke Shannon | Staff Writer

SCRANTON – The Scranton men’s basketball team was outlasted by Drew University in an overtime nail biter Saturday, ending a season that saw them reach the Landmark Conference Championship.

After falling behind early, the Royals found themselves down 34-26 at halftime. It took a gutsy effort from the team to come back and send the game to overtime during a second half in which they outscored the Drew Rangers 43-35.

Junior Jackson Danzig (22 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists) and senior Logan Bailey (21 points,5 rebounds, 2 assists) led the Royals offensively, with sophomores Stephen Braunstein (14 points) and Ryan Ems (10 points) also chipping in double-digit scoring numbers.

The Royals came up just shy of their first Landmark Conference Championship since 2017, largely due to explosive performances from Drew’s top offensive threats.

Senior Lybrant Robinson (31 points, 5 rebounds) scored his team’s last eight points, earning the Landmark Conference Championship MVP for his performance. Freshman Malcolm Newman (24, 4) also had key plays down the stretch for the Rangers, including four unanswered free throws in overtime.

The win gave Drew its first Landmark Conference Championship and marked a high point of a successful season for the 6-1 Rangers.

As for the Royals, who finished their season 7-3, Danzig, Bailey, Braunstein and Ems all have NCAA eligibility to return to the team next year.