WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Drew University women's basketball team hit four key free throws in the final 33 seconds and the Rangers used a gritty defensive performance to beat Catholic University 42-39 in its Landmark Conference opener on Saturday. Drew (4-2, 1-0 LC) captured its conference opener for the first time in three years and defeated Catholic for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
 
How it Happened: Along with their free throws, the Rangers grabbed a pair of key offensive rebounds in the final minute. With 34 seconds left, freshman forward Sekya Campbell gathered a missed 3-pointer and sunk the put-back to make it 38-36. She was fouled on the shot but missed the ensuing free throw; however, freshman forward Nashdah Noel rebounded the miss and was fouled. She would go 2-for-2 at the line to make it a four-point game, which proved to be the difference as Catholic nailed a 3-pointer on its next trip down the court. With shot clock unplugged the Cardinals were forced to foul, and sophomore guard Julia Ramos hit two more at the charity stripe with 23 ticks showing. Sophomore forward Erin Frederick sealed the win when she blocked a shot inside the 3-point line just before the buzzer.
 
Defensive Battle: Both sides scored in single digits in each of the first two quarters and Catholic (3-3, 0-1 LC) led 17-13 at the half. The Cardinals led 26-20 with 3:13 left in the third quarter before the Rangers used a 6-2 spurt to close the period and draw within a bucket (28-26) heading into the final stanza. Drew used another 6-2 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by a jumper from Frederick with 5:47 to go, to assume a 32-30 advantage. The Rangers would not trail again, although Catholic tied it twice, including on a 3-pointer with 1:09 left before Campbell's crucial put-back.
 
Top Performers: Frederick finished as Drew's leading scorer, netting 10 points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking three shots. Ramos tallied eight points and six steals while Campbell contributed six points and nine rebounds. Noel grabbed a season-high six boards.
 
Stat Sheet: Drew shot 42.1 percent for the game to overcome 31 turnovers while out-rebounding the Cardinals 35-33. The Rangers held the hosts to 26.2 percent shooting.
 
Next Up: The Rangers return to non-conference action on Wednesday, when they take on the College of New Rochelle at the College of Saint Elizabeth starting at 7 p.m.