MADISON, N.J. (Jan. 16, 2016) – What was once an 18-point deficit turned into a nine-point win for a resurgent Drew University women's basketball team that flipped Saturday's victory over Susquehanna University 180 degrees to take home the 68-59 Landmark Conference victory in double-overtime in Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
Drew's gritty offensive revamp in the second half can be attributed to the play of senior forward Courtney Stephens who logged her seventh double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds, junior forward Ryan Jackson, who also netted a double-double -- the second of her career -- grabbing 14 rebounds and totaling 10 points, and junior guards Sam Lane and Hannah Miller, who combined for 26 points.
 
The Rangers (7-10, 4-4) wiped clean the 18-point lead Susquehanna (10-5, 3-4) had created with a complete momentum swing in the second half. Drew outscored Susquehanna 43-28 in the second half after being outscored 21-6 in the first. The heavyweight battle would require double overtime before the Rangers escaped with a win.
 
With 15 seconds to play in regulation, one could find Susquehanna clinging to a 3-point lead. They had the ball, but magnetic defense from Lane forced a travel. The contest was in Drew's hands with just seconds left on the clock. As they ticked down, Miller turned and hoisted up a 3-pointer from 20-plus feet out. The shot fell and the teams headed to overtime knotted up at 49. The tale of two halves would require a fifth period to decide the winner.
 
With a minute remaining the overtime period and Susquehanna leading by two, the Rangers nearly lost the ball. A last second stretch by Lane and a quick timeout saved them. On the inbound, Drew seamlessly worked it inside to Stephens who flipped up the layup to tie it at 56. The basket occurred with just 10 seconds to go, Susquehanna couldn't convert and the teams headed to double OT.
 
Jackson got the Rangers some breathing room with a pair of free throws that would stand up for two minutes of the double overtime period. Lane then added on when she drained a 3-pointer that would grant the Rangers a 63-58 lead that would be enough to lock in the comeback.
 
The teams parlayed the teeter-totter tilt into a equally close battle down the stretch. When the Crusaders found themselves with a 3-point lead with under two minutes, freshman guard Hailey Stine drained her second 3-pointer, knotting the score up.
 
After a rocky first half that saw the Crusader defense refuse any entry to the basket, the Rangers shooting touch finally found its groove. The Rangers turned a near-20 point deficit into just 10, highlighted by crisp outside shooting by junior guard Courtney Trzasko. Trzasko nailed back-to-back treys to bring the Rangers closer in the middle of the third period. The Rangers outscored the Crusaders 26-21 in the period. The 26-point burst eclipsed the Crusaders combined first-half output.
 
The Ranger resurgence continued into the fourth period. Jackson and Stephens traded rebounds and layups before yielding to Stine, who drained a deep 3 with six minutes to go in the game. The deep ball trimmed the deficit to just one, making the score 42-41. Drew would go on to gain its first lead of the game on a Stephens layup seconds later.  
 
Somehow, the teams recorded the same exact amount of rebounds, 47. Drew outshot the crusaders 36-percent to 29-percent and nearly doubled its opponent with 26 points in the paint to 14. Quantifications don't really do the major second-half momentum swing justice.
 
Drew's next conference contest will come on the road against Goucher College. The tilt is slated for a 4:00 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 23.