MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University women's basketball team showed grit and determination in its 60-49 loss to nationally-ranked and undefeated Catholic University in Landmark Conference action Saturday afternoon in Baldwin Gym.
 
After falling behind by 13 at the end of the first quarter, the Rangers bounced back to outscore the Cardinals 44-42 the rest of the way, including 15-6 in the fourth quarter.
 
Senior forward Jamie Struble paced Drew (4-9, 2-4) with 12 points and eight rebounds while sophomore guard Maddie Beyer contributed nine points. Freshman guard Miabella Diaz contributed seven points and seven rebounds while junior guard Izzy Lalo also netted seven points while posting a plus-minus of 16. Sophomore forward Gianna Pica totaled five rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots, and freshman guard Sarah Smout chipped in with four steals.
 
Keegan Douglas and Kerry Flaherty scored 14 points apiece to pace Catholic (13-0, 6-0), which entered the game ranked 13th in Division III by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and 15th by D3hoops.com.
 
The Rangers trailed just 10-5 after a put-back from senior forward Gracie Hezel with 1:46 left in the opening quarter. But that's when Catholic scored eight unanswered points, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Kaleigh Beirne and Flaherty, to assume an 18-5 advantage at the end of the period.
 
The Cardinals continued their run in the second quarter, opening on a 7-0 surge to extend their advantage to 20. Beyer stemmed the rally with a layup, however, and the Rangers outscored Catholic 13-11 over the remainder of the stanza.
 
Freshman guard Alice Altomare came up with a steal off a press in the final seconds of the half and found Lalo for a layup, making it 36-18 at the intermission.
 
The Rangers came out hot at the start of the second half, opening on an 8-2 run. Lalo and Struble dropped in consecutive buckets to open the period before Diaz added a free throw. Struble then converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to draw the Rangers within 38-26.
 
Drew pulled within a dozen points later in the quarter when Pica knocked down a pair from the stripe with 5:09 on the clock. But Catholic opened up some breathing room with a 14-4 run, pushing its lead to 22, before Pica found sophomore guard Maddy Morgan for a layup with eight ticks showing to make it a 54-32 game heading into the final quarter.
 
The Cardinals still led by 20 with 7:16 left before the Rangers made another push, this time with a 9-0 run. Smout kicked it off with a jumper before Lalo drained a 3-pointer. Struble and Smout completed the rally with consecutive baskets to make it 56-45 with 3:31 showing.
 
A jumper from Pica made it 58-47 with 4:11 to go, and Diaz connected to put the score at 60-49 with 2:27 left. But those would turn out to be the final points of the game.
 
The Rangers continue their season on Wednesday, when they host Wilkes University at 7 p.m. in a Landmark Conference matchup.