Though the Rangers mounted another big comeback, Drew fell victim to Juniata's inside advantage in a 60-53 loss in Baldwin Gym.  After trailing by 11 in the second half, the Rangers went into the final 1:45 of play tied, but the Eagles' Jen Hnatuck had a big basket and two key free throws to help the guests pull out the win.  Dana Coronato had a career high 21 points to lead all scorers while Hnatuck had 18, 16 in the second half.  Drew falls to 10-6, 2-5 while Juniata improves to 10-8, 4-3.

The game was a fast paced affair throughout, but neither team shot the ball particularly well which kept the scoring down.  The Rangers controlled the first seven minutes, taking an 11-2 lead on Eden Blazovic's jumper.  The Eagles rallied with Erin McGinley doing some good work including a pair of free throws that brought the guests to within 14-12 at 9:57.  After an Eagle three pointer gave Juniata its first lead, Dana Coronato sparked a small rally that returned the lead to the Rangers.  The newcomer scored on a driving layup and then had a steal that set up two Kat Luby free throws.  With 7:42 left to play in the half, Coronato hit a long three to make it 21-17 to the Rangers. 

The Eagles rebuilt a four point lead on Ashton Bankos free throws with 3:53 left, but once again the Rangers clawed back.  Ashley Logan drilled a three in the corner to give Drew a 29-27 lead with 1:52 left.  Juniata closed out the half with a pair of free throws from Brittany Danel and a jumper by Meagan Raville as the half ended at 31-29. 

The Rangers had survived a massive inside advantage by the Eagles in the first half.  The guests out-rebounded Drew 22-8 and had 14 points in the paint.  The second half would not be as kind to Drew as the Eagles' post presence wore down the Rangers.  In building an 11-point, 44-33, lead, the Eagles outrebounded Drew 21-5 in the first nine minutes of play in the second half.  Jen Hnatuck was particularly destructive with ten points in the run. 
Drew teetered on the brink of losing sight of the game, but Coronato came through again by sparking another run.  She hit three threes over the next 3:15 of play and Ashley Logan and Danielle Barber each had two points as the Rangers tied the game at 46-46 with 7:57 left to play.

Juniata's Jordan Speck hit a key three pointer for the game's next points, but Blazovic was on the receiving end of a nice fast break assist from Barber to cut the lead to 49-48 going into the final five minutes of play.  Drew would take the lead on its next possession as Coronato put in an impossible jumper, absorbing contact and barely having a look at the hoop.  Once again, Hnatuck had the answer for Juniata as she worked herself into good position and finished well for the 51-50 Juniata lead with 4:00 left.

Both teams went scoreless of the next two minutes before Meagan Raville scored off an inbound play to put Juniata up by three points.  Drew's next possession tied the game for the fifth time in the half as Kat Luby swished a triple off a curl at the top of the key.  If only the Rangers could have found a solution to Hnatuck, this game would have gone the way of Drew's sweet comeback win over Catholic last Sunday; instead the Eagle, in the best stretch of form in her career, put in another fine post move for a 55-53 lead.  After the Rangers committed a costly turnover on the offensive end, Hnatuck drew a foul with just a bit of time left on the shot clock and hit both for a 57-53 lead.  Drew had two more chances, but neither fell; the Eagles were able to hit three of their final four foul shots to close out the 60-53 win.

The Eagles had 18 second chance points to the Rangers' four and held a 30-14 edge in points in the paint.  A 49-26 final advantage in rebounds further proved that Juniata won the game inside.  Hnatuck had 18 and nine rebounds – she averaged 22.5 points over her last three games - while Kelly Rotan had six points and 15 boards.  The Eagles shot just 2-21 from three point range, but made up for it by going 16-20 from the foul line. 

For the Rangers, the shots just wouldn't fall.  Aside from Dana Coronato, who went 8-9 from the field, the Rangers shot just 11-46 on the day (23%).  For the second straight game, Drew's leading scorers coming into the day, Barber and DelVecchio, were held well below their season averages. 

Still, this Ranger team leaves a sense that on any given day they could be outstanding.  Coronato went 8-9 from the field, 5-5 from behind the arc for 21 points off the bench.  Blazovic had a subpar night on the offensive end, but grabbed ten boards and recorded four assists, three blocks and three steals.  Ashley Logan again provided offense off the bench with eight points and a pair of steals.  If these young Rangers (and they are still very young with just 66 of their 200 minutes coming from juniors or seniors) were able to combine performances like these from Coronato, Logan and Blazovic with strong performances from Barber, DelVecchio and Luby, they would be able to compete with any team in the Landmark, even the top ones.  As is always true with inexperienced squads, finding the consistency in conference play is the challenge, but one that the Rangers might enjoy down the stretch.
That said, there is the little matter of a Pennsylvania swing next weekend as Drew heads out to face #18 Moravian and #9 Scranton for a double header.