NAPLES, Fla. – The Drew University women's basketball team overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to beat Rowan University 63-58 at the Naples Shootout Saturday afternoon in Florida. Sophomore guard
Julia Ramos posted an impressive performance to lead the Rangers (7-3), netting a career-high 28 points to go with eight rebounds, six steals, and five assists. Drew has now posted its best 10-game start since the 2014-15 squad also started 7-3.
How it Happened: The Rangers trailed by 13 at the half, and it was 37-18 with 8:51 left in the third quarter. But that's when Drew whittled the deficit down to five following a 14-0 run that included nine points from Ramos. The Profs closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to push their lead back to 13; however, Drew went on to outscore Rowan 22-9 in the fourth quarter. The Rangers still trailed by 10 (54-44) with just 4:15 left before ending regulation on a 10-0 run. Ramos kicked off the crucial spurt with four free throws before senior forward
Sarah Henig dropped in a lay-up with 2:34 to go. Sophomore forward
Erin Frederick then took over, hitting two foul shots with 1:13 left and converting a lay-in with 25 ticks showing to make it 54-54 and force the extra session after Rowan missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Drew never trailed in overtime and salted its victory at the foul line, where Ramos and senior guard
Hailey Stine each went 2-for-2 in the final 50 seconds.
Top Performers: Ramos posted her second career 20-point game and exceeded her previous career-high by eight points. She shot 8-for-19 from the field and 10-for-11 at the foul line. Her eight rebounds also tied a career-high. Stine knocked down 4-of-11 3-pointers and finished with 14 points while Frederick notched 13 points and nine rebounds. Freshman forward
Nashdah Noel contributed a season-high nine rebounds as well.
Stat Sheet: Drew forced the Profs into 27 turnovers for the game, leading directly to 18 points. The Rangers were held to 31.3 percent shooting and were out-rebounded 51-41; however, they limited Rowan to 31.7 percent shooting and held a 12-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Next Up: The Rangers conclude their trip to the Sunshine State on Sunday, when they take on Immaculata University at 5 p.m.
