The Drew women’s basketball team is undefeated so far this season with a six game winning streak. All of their opponents until this point have been non-conference matchups.
The Rangers defeated William Patterson University with a whopping 78-58 lead on Nov. 17. They outscored their opponent 28-8 in the second quarter en route to their 78-58 non-conference victory.
Guard Sekya Campbell (’22) posted 17 points and seven rebounds and was one of three Rangers to come off the bench to hit double digits, along with forward Lauren Cruse (’22) and guard Katrina Wojtowicz (’23).
Guard Joey Meyers (’23) posted her fourth-straight double-double to open the season for Drew, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rangers led 16-13 at the end of the first quarter before breaking it open with their big second period. Drew led just 20-19 with 7:10 remaining before erupting for a 24-2 run to close the half. Seven different Rangers scored during the outburst, which included four 3-pointers and was capped by a triple from Meyers in the closing seconds, making it a44-21 game at the break. Drew saw its lead reach as much as 28 (58-30) late in the third quarter. The Pioneers used a late rally to pull to 16, but the Rangers iced it with a late 9-2 run.
During the game, four different players scored in double figures for the Rangers, who improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The win marked victory No. 61 at Drew for Head Coach John Olenowski, who tied Brittany Gaetano (2010-16) for the most wins in team history.
The Rangers’ next matchup was against their cross-town rival FDU-Florham on Tuesday Nov. 23. The final score was 60-37. With the victory, the Rangers improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 squad opened the year 9-0.
In addition, the victory marked career win No. 62 at Drew for Olenowski, who became the coach with the most wins in program history. With the win, he passed his predecessor, Brittany Gaetano, who won 61 games from 2010-16.
Campbell posted 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Center Erin Frederick (’22) contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for the Rangers while guard Joey Meyers (’23) posted eight points, a career-high seven steals, and six rebounds. Forward Jamie Struble (’24) chipped in with eight points while guard Gwen Alberici (’23) notched seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Drew never trailed after jetting out to a 9-0 lead. FDU pulled to within 11-9 at the end of the first quarter and pulled even at 13-all with 6:15 left in the opening half. The Rangers erupted with a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to open up a 12-point advantage. Five different players scored during the run and Drew led 27-15 at the half. The Rangers effectively put the game out of reach midway through the third quarter, using a 12-2 surge to push their advantage to 22 (41-19) with 4:25 left in the period. Campbell, Frederick, and Meyers scored all of the points during the stretch, and the Rangers led 44-22 after three quarters of play. The Devils opened the final period on a 10-0 run to make it a 12-point game, but the Rangers outscored FDU 16-5 over the final 4:45.
Drew swiped 18 steals on the night, tying for seventh most steals in team history, and forced 27 turnovers over the course of competition.
The most recent game played by the women’s basketball team was versus King’s College. Four Rangers scored in double figures and the Drew University women’s basketball team rolled to a 70-52 victory over King’s College in a non-conference match-up Saturday Nov. 27 in Baldwin Gym. With the win, Drew improved to 6-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 squad started 9-0.
Campbell scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds while coming off the bench for the Rangers, leadgin for nearly the entire contest. Meyers registered her fifth double-double of the year with a season-high of 17 points and 13 rebounds while Frederick contributed 16 points and six boards. Guard Kyra Mann (’23) chipped in with a career-high of 13 points.
After leading 16-12 at the end of the first quarter, the Rangers opened up some breathing room in the second quarter, when they outscored King’s 17-9 to open up a 33-21 halftime advantage.
The Rangers pushed their lead to 17 (49-32) late in the third quarter, but the Monarchs closed the period on a 7-0 run to make it a 10-point game heading into the final stanza. However, Drew opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 spurt of its own to assume a decisive 56-39 lead with 6:07 left. King’s was unable to draw closer than 18 the rest of the way.
All 14 players who dressed entered the game for Drew. The Rangers shot a season-best 50.0% from the field while holding King’s to 26.8% shooting.
On Nov. 30, the Rangers were scheduled to host Brooklyn College in another non-conference affair, however the game was postponed with a makeup date pending. Drew will have their first conference matchup of the season at Goucher College Saturday, Dec. 4:00 p.m.
