This past Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, Drew University hosted the Rose City Classic for Women’s Basketball. Drew welcomed Western New England University, Penn State, Lehigh Valley and Widener to compete. Friday night hosted the initial matchups, which consisted of back-to-back games, including Drew’s match against Lehigh Valley. Saturday’s matchups were to be decided by the outcomes of the previous night’s games.
On Friday evening, Drew and Lehigh Valley kicked off the classic. The game was Lehigh Valley’s opener for the season, against Drew, who already had a win under their belt. Drew started aggressively, scoring 23 points in the first quarter, while the Lions only scored 13. The Rangers continued their assault in the second quarter, scoring 19 points compared to Lehigh Valley, who could only score 14. The Lions were hungry for a comeback in the third quarter and managed to bring the scores closer together than at any other point in the game. However, the Rangers continued to push ahead in the fourth quarter. The game ended with a Ranger victory of 89-61, with Joey Meyers (’23) and Gwen Alberici (’23) scoring a combined total of 40 points for the Rangers.
The next day, at 2 p.m., Drew faced off against Western New England University, with both teams vying for the title of 2022 Rose City Classic champion. The Rangers once again started strong, finishing the first quarter with a score of 17-8 in the Ranger’s favor. However, their lead would be short-lived, as the Golden Bears brought the score to a 22-22 tie during the second quarter. With a three-pointer from Madelyn Morgan (’26), followed by a lay up from Alberici, the Rangers ended the first half with a four-point lead.
The third quarter saw the Rangers increase their lead, but the Golden Bears once again closed the gap in the fourth quarter, bringing Drew’s lead down to one point. However, Meyers made two clutch free throws in the final minute of the quarter, raising the Rangers’ lead to three points and bringing the game right down to the wire. Western New England pulled the scores back to a tie, with eight seconds left on the clock.The final quarter ended with a final point from Morgan, awarding the Drew Rangers a triumphant victory in front of their home fans.
For her contributions to Drew’s strong start to the season, Meyers was named the Landmark Conference Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week. She averaged 23.3 points for the first three games of the season and led the team in playing time.
Following their fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Saint Elizabeth University, Drew Women’s Basketball will be playing at William Paterson University on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. You can watch the live stream at wpupioneers.com.
Sierra Walker (’25) is a media and communications/marketing double-major, as well as minoring in Spanish.
FEATURED IMAGE COURTESY OF SIERRA WALKER
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