MADISON, N.J. (Nov. 14, 2015) – Despite a closely contested first three periods, the Rangers (1-1) saw the last ten minutes of the Rose City Tip-Off Classic championship slip out of their grasp as St. Lawrence University (2-0) won the final, 56-44, on Saturday evening in Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
All-Tournament honoree junior guard Hannah Miller notched a team-high 11 points. Senior forward Courtney Stephens grabbed 10 rebounds and contributed nine points in the setback.
 
In the early going, the Rangers took a commanding hold on the flow of the game. Freshman forward Hailey Stine stepped in front of a transitional cross court pass, and drove into the lane to drive a foul late into the second period. When the Rangers weren't drawing fouls, they were active in the paint. Drew changed its game plan from the previous contest, exploiting St. Lawrence's weakness defending in close as opposed to shooting from outside.
 
The Rangers were 40-percent from the field in the first half, while the Saints shot at a 27-percent clip. Stephens had nine points and five boards in the half.
 
Once the second half began, junior guard Sam Lane capitalized on her big game from behind the arc yesterday. She got a pass at the top of the perimeter, sold a pump fake, and drove to the basketball for an easy finger roll layup. The two-pointer gave Drew a 29-25 lead 30 seconds into the half.
 
St. Lawrence stormed back, and with a buzzer beating layup to end the third period, took a four-point lead. The Rangers were led by the collection of Stephens, Miller, and sophomore forward Ally Raulf. The three were scoring at a similar pace with Stephens and Raulf accounting for half of Drew's rebounds with a combined 14.
 
The Saints persistent ball possession kept the game within their control in the final minutes as they fended off the Rangers until the final buzzer.
 
With the tip-off classic completed, the Rangers head out to Staten Island, N.Y. for their first road game. The tilt with the College of Staten Island is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip on Wednesday, Nov. 18.