MADISON, N.J. – Sophomore guard Amy Rachilla tied the school record for assists and missed a triple-double by two rebounds as the Drew University women's basketball team won its fourth game in a row while clinching a Landmark Conference playoff berth with a 68-51 victory over Wilkes University Wednesday evening in Baldwin Gym.
 
Rachilla dished out 12 assists, equaling the Drew standard set by Danielle Barber C'12 at Goucher on Jan. 30, 2009 and Eileen Herr C'03 versus Merchant Marine on Nov. 27, 2001. Rachilla also scored 14 points, shooting 4-for-10 from 3-point range, while tying a career-high with eight rebounds.
 
The Rangers, who can finish no worse than sixth in the conference standings, will compete in the Landmark Conference Championships for the second year in a row.
 
Junior forward Gianna Pica contributed 13 points while sophomore guard Alice Altomare tossed in 12 points while shooting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Junior center Brenna Hezel pitched in with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting while freshman guard Jocelyn Kingsley swiped four steals.
 
Yamirelis Matos paced Wilkes (0-22, 0-15 LC) with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
 
The Rangers held a 19-18 edge after the opening quarter, when each team shot over 42% from the field. Emma Stout hit a jumper for Wilkes on the first play of the second quarter to briefly hand the Colonels the lead, but that's when Altomare got hot, draining three consecutive 3-pointers to put Drew up by eight. Rachilla followed up with a 3-ball of her own to make it 31-20 with 5:50 to go in the period. Junior guard Maddie Beyer swished a triple with 46 seconds left and the Rangers took a 40-27 lead into the locker room.
 
Drew led by as much as 17 (48-31) when Pica dropped in a layup with 7:15 left in the third quarter. Later in the stanza, the two sides hit an offensive drought in which neither side scored four nearly four minutes. Wilkes snapped the cold spell by scoring the last three points of the quarter to make it 49-37 heading into the final period.
 
The Rangers broke the game open early in the fourth quarter, using a 12-2 run to open up a 63-42 advantage with 5:55 remaining. Rachilla and sophomore guard Miabella Diaz scored five points each during the run, which was capped by a jumper from Hezel. Wilkes was unable to get closer than 14 the rest of the way.
 
Drew returns home on Saturday, when it hosts No. 16 Catholic University in a Landmark Conference tilt starting at 4 p.m.