SCRANTON, Pa. (Jan. 5, 2016) – With nothing but Landmark Conference games ahead, the Drew University women's basketball team's perfect conference record finally took a hit, courtesy of the No. 16 University of Scranton, which hosted Tuesday evening's 77-49 setback.
 
Pacing the Rangers (6-7, 3-1) was the trio of junior guard Hannah Miller and junior forwards Ryan Jackson, and Sam Lane. The third-years netted 12 points each. Sophomore guard Michaela Keegan dished out seven assists on the day, furthering her development as floor general for the Rangers. Meanwhile, senior forward Courtney Stephens pitched in six rebounds and three steals in the setback.
 
Miller's sharp outside shooting helped chip away at the small lead the Royals (13-0, 4-0) created to open the contest. Drew's ability to hang with the Royals in the early going was dependent on the 3-pointer. The Rangers' focus was clearly centered on perimeter offense and the deficit by which they trailed Scranton correlated with the success of those outside shots.
 
The Royals capitalized on a lull in Ranger scoring (0-4 FG stretch) to accelerate into a 10-0 run that took them into the first period break.
 
The Rangers aggressively agitated the Royal offense. Their intense defense resulted in lackadaisical ball handling that saw Stephens and Jackson smack two steals apiece in the first 15 minutes of the game. Despite the harassment from the Ranger forwards, the Royals remained relaxed and sank baskets incredibly efficiently. Scranton's guards moved shiftily, altered momentum, and used a layered attack to net lots of deep two's. 15 minutes into the contest, the Royals had only missed three baskets, while sinking 15. This offensive efficiency led to a 30-15 lead, 15 minutes in.
 
The teams exchanged baskets down to the halftime whistle. The Rangers' first half scoring came solely from the trio of Miller, Jackson, and Lane, who combined for all of Drew's 27 points. Scranton had 38 at the half.
 
Scranton spent the third period expanding upon their lead. They did so by getting comfortable in the paint and waiting for their forwards to establish position and use their height to drop in 2-pointers. Creative ball distribution, smart guard play, and physical forward work allowed Scranton to build and build throughout the second half.
 
Drew did cause more turnovers as they stepped up their defense to contend with their nationally ranked opponent. They forced 16 turnovers while committing just 10 of their own. Scranton missed only 17 shots on the day, resulting in a 64-percent shooting clip. The Royals sank all six of their 3-pointers. Scranton's forwards size proved just too much, especially in the rebounding game as the Royals outmatched Drew in that department 37-20. 

On Thursday, Jan. 7, the Rangers return home to host Moravian College in conference play. The contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip in Baldwin Gymnasium.