MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University women's basketball opened its 2026-27 season on the right foot, topping Franklin & Marshall College 68-58 in the team's season and home opener Wednesday evening in Baldwin Gym.
The Rangers broke open a close game with a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter to open up a 13-point advantage, and the Diplomats were unable to get closer than seven the rest of the way.
Junior guard
Jocelyn Kingsley led the Rangers with a career-high 18 points, shooting 8-for-9 from the field, while sophomore forward
Molly Chapman added her first career double-double with career-highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard
Amy Rachilla pitched in with nine points while senior guard
Miabella Diaz tallied eight points and three steals.
The Diplomats (1-1) received 15 points from Fiona Reckner.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair that featured three ties and three lead changes. The Rangers went 16-10 on an and-1 layup from Kingsley with 1:01 on the clock but the Diplomats scored the last three points of the quarter to cut the lead in half at the end of the period.
The back-and-forth play continued in the second quarter, when there were two ties and two lead changes. However, the Rangers took the lead for good on a 3-pointer from sophomore guard
Katie Reiner that made it 26-25 with 2:43 remaining in the opening half, and it kicked off an 8-2 Drew run that put the hosts up 31-27 at the intermission.
The Rangers scored a pair of quick buckets in the second half to push their advantage to eight before F&M answered with a 7-2 spurt to pull to within 37-34. But that's when Drew embarked on its decisive run, which was kicked off by a jumper from freshman forward
Ruby Martin and was followed by a pair of free throws from Chapman, a layup from Kingsley, and a jumper and two free throws from Rachilla that made it 47-34 with 2:31 on the clock. Drew carried a 49-40 advantage into the final stanza.
The Diplomats trailed just 52-45 after a 3-pointer from Kayla McCrea with 6:40 remaining, but Drew scored the next six points over a 2:33 span. Diaz hit a pair of free throws before senior guard
Alice Altomare came up with a steal and found Kingley for a 3-pointer in transition. A free throw from Chapman pushed the advantage back to 13 with 4:07 left, and the Rangers led by at least eight the rest of the way.
Drew returns home on Saturday, when it hosts cross-town rival FDU-Florham at 4 p.m. in another non-conference affair.
