Wednesday Jan. 17, Elizabethtown College’s men’s basketball team faced Drew University in a fast-paced, competitive game. The Blue Jays fell behind in shooting, but kept the Rangers’ leading shooter, senior Yonathan Napoleon, to only two points in the first half. The men ultimately came out slow compared to the game against Goucher College on Jan. 20, where they came ready to play. Against Drew, Etown fell behind, especially in free throws, with .571 made against the Rangers .731. The Blue Jays also couldn’t keep up with only seven steals.Drew earned a total of 13 steals. The Rangers also had 20 more rebounds, and kept a steady pace throughout the game to earn an overwhelming win at 84-54. Junior Matthew Thomas maintained a positive attitude despite the loss. “Against Drew a lot of our players weren’t playing their best game and a lot of their players were hot.” Thomas said. “Luckily we play them again later in the season at home and hopefully we can correct the little things we messed up.” Etown will face Drew again on January 31.

The Blue Jays pulled out their first conference win against Goucher by preparing and working hard during practice. Coming out to the game with positivity and energy assisted the men in working as a team and earning points when it mattered. Making half of the free throws throughout the game assisted in little points, whereas leading the game with seven steals and 42 rebounds gave the Blue Jays a huge advantage over Goucher. Goucher only earned one steal and 35 rebounds, but did make a little over half of their free throws. Players attempted 28 three pointers, and made 12. This has been the fifth game with 20 or more attempted three pointers, allowing shooters on the team to shine. Sophomore Bryce Greene stood out once again, earning 27 points, a career high for the third time. It was an all-around good team effort that led to a huge win. This should result in some confidence going up against Juniata College next. “In order to prepare for our next game against Juniata, we have to have some great practices leading up by having everyone dialed in and focused on what we have to do as a team and individually to come up with a win,” first-year Liam Thompson said. Coming off a great win, well-thought-out practices and preparation will assist in facing Juniata.