Drew women's basketball played the #8 Scranton Royals tough before a late run by the visitors handed the Rangers a 77-61 loss. Drew stayed within striking range for the first 30 minutes before the Royals pulled away in the final ten. Danielle Barber led four Rangers in double figures with 14 points while Megan Kopecki scored 21 points for Scranton, including the 1000th of her career. Drew falls to 9-2 on the season, 1-1 in the Landmark Conference , while Scranton improves to 9-2, 1-1.
In a first half full of back and forth action, the Rangers had the game's first big run to take an eight point lead at the mid-way through the period. The game was tied for the fourth time when Scranton's Katherine Torto knocked down a jumper at the 12 minute mark to make it 14-14. Drew would score the game's next eight points over two minutes of play to go up 22-14. Eden Blazovic hit a jumper off Barber's assist to start the run. After hitting a pair of free throws, Barber had a steal in the back court before knocking down a pull up jumper on the break. Finally, Rebecca Smith's layup at the 9:48 mark forced the Royals to take a timeout. It was well used as Scranton went on a 12-0 run following that pause in the action capped by Sarah Gage's jumper with five minutes left to go up 26-22.
Kat Luby broke the Royals' streak with a three pointer, but Megan Kopecki countered with one of her own on the next trip down court. Scranton's lead would eventually reach ten as Kopecki once again showed why she is the reigning conference Player of the Year; this time with a tough driving layup to make it 37-27 with 1:21 left. Drew had one last move in it as Barber and Coronato hit back-to-back three pointers before the end of the half to pull the Rangers to within four, 37-34.
After Kopecki opened the second half with a jumper to give the guests a six point lead, Drew was able to pull to within a single point of the two-time defending Landmark Champions. Luby drilled a three and Barber scored on a fastbreak layup to make it 39-38 before Scranton rebuilt a six point lead on Shernai Bentley's jumper two minutes later, 47-41. Drew fought back as newcomer Dana Coronato hit a long three and Barber used the stop-and-pop on the break again to cut it to 47-46.
With 11:20 left in the game, Coronato's old-fashioned three-point play put Drew to within a possession, 53-50, but the Royals put the game away with their second big run of the game. A 16-5 stretch over the next four and a half minutes gave the guests an insurmountable lead of 14, 69-55. Ryan Mooney was involved in everything as she recorded four points, three rebounds and two assists during the decisive run.
Despite their best efforts, the Rangers were unable to mount a serious charge over the final five minutes of play. Smith had another basket and Coronato had a pair of free throws in final minute to put Drew over the 60 point mark for the seventh time this season as the clock ran out with Scranton up 77-61.
Kopecki led all scorers with 21 while adding seven assists, five steals and five rebounds. Her third point of the game, scored at the 17:10 mark was the 1,000th of her career. Molly Klusek proved a handful in the post with a double-double of 12 and 12. Sarah Gage had 12 off the bench and six rebounds. The Royals shot 46.5% for the game (33-71), but more importantly they hit 56.3% in the second half (18-32).
Drew had four players in double figures led by Barber's 14. Coronato had 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Jessica DelVecchio and Kat Luby each had ten points. After shooting a respectable 42.9% in the first half, the Rangers hit just 9-32 (28.1%) in the second half. For the game they hit eight threes and an impressive 11 of 13 free throws. Barber led the team with seven assists.
The schedule gets no easier for the Rangers, who have dropped their last two games after a 9-0 start, as the #18 Moravian Greyhounds enter Baldwin Gym tomorrow for a 6 PM tip-off.
Newspaper Box Score
Scranton Royals vs Drew Rangers
1/08/10 5:30 pm at Baldwin Gym, Madison, NJ
At Baldwin Gym, Madison, NJ
Scranton Royals 77, DREW RANGERS 61
SCRWBB10 (9-2, 1-1)
Megan Kopecki 9-19 2-4 21; Sarah Gage 5-9 2-2 12; Molly Klusek 6-15 0-2 12;
Ryan Mooney 4-8 1-2 9; Katherine Torto 4-6 0-1 8; Shernai Bentley 3-4 2-4 8;
Colleen McLane 1-1 2-2 4; Tayler Pallotta 1-4 0-0 2; Jennifer King 0-5 1-2
1; Emily Rainey 0-0 0-0 0; Sidney Jaques 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-71 10-19 77.
DREW RANGERS (9-2, 1-1)
Danielle Barber 5-14 3-4 14; Dana Coronato 4-11 3-3 13; Katherine Luby 3-11
1-2 10; Jessica DelVecchio 3-10 2-2 10; Rebecca Smith 3-6 0-0 6; Jessica
Reid 1-2 2-2 4; Eden Blazovic 2-4 0-0 4; Jana Jagodzinski 0-0 0-0 0; Ashley
Logan 0-0 0-0 0; Jen Mateo 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 11-13 61.
SCRWBB10...................... 37 40 - 77
Drew Rangers.................. 33 28 - 61
3-point goals--SCRWBB10 1-10 (Megan Kopecki 1-4; Ryan Mooney 0-2; Jennifer
King 0-4), Drew Rangers 8-22 (Katherine Luby 3-9; Jessica DelVecchio 2-7;
Dana Coronato 2-3; Danielle Barber 1-3). Fouled out--SCRWBB10-None, Drew
Rangers-None. Rebounds--SCRWBB10 45 (Molly Klusek 12), Drew Rangers 35 (Dana
Coronato 8). Assists--SCRWBB10 20 (Megan Kopecki 7), Drew Rangers 11
(Danielle Barber 7). Total fouls--SCRWBB10 10, Drew Rangers 19. Technical
fouls--SCRWBB10-None, Drew Rangers-None. A-119
Megan Kopecki scores her 1000th point and moves into Scranton's 24th place
