Acorn

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: File Photo Allison Hartnett ('08) has been the most consistant player for the Rangers all season. Her leadership on and off the court, along with her stellar gameplay, will be instrumental to the team next year.

The Drew University women's basketball team has had a rough go of it over the month of January, despite some promising performances.

The Rangers went 2-8 and have dropped six straight games.

Last month started off with the Williams College Tournament.

The rangers dropped the first game of the tournament 68-53 to Babson College, rebounding the next day with a victory over Gordon College in a consolation game.

Drew dropped the next game to Manhattanville College, but again bounced back with a terrific performance over conference opponents Catholic University.

This improved the Rangers inter-conference record to 2-0, and their overall record to 4-7.

Unfortunately, the women have not tasted victory since that game.

To add salt to the wound of their six-game losing streak, five of the losses have come against conference opponents, leaving the women 2-5 against the conference and 4-13 overall.

One may wonder why the team has slipped so much out of the gate in 2008. Losses against Susquehanna College, F&M, and Manhattanville College were particularly tough pills to swallow.

In each match the Rangers held a lead, but let it slip away.

Against Moravian College, the Rangers gained the lead toward halftime, however an 8-0 Greyhound run toward the end of the game sealed the deal for the struggling Rangers. "We have lost games by an average of 8.7 points per game. That just shows we are in every game," coach Gail Gilchrest said.

The Rangers' last two losses were grueling, heartbreaking defeats. In both games, the Rangers were in the match from buzzer to buzzer, but just could never find a way to pull even. Both were home games against Moravian and Scranton University, respectively, but were played within twenty-four hours, not an easy task for any team.

"This is tough for a roster of nine and only a four guard rotation," Coach Gail Gilchrest said. "Our conference is deep, especially in the guard spot, which puts a lot of pressure on our guards and posts who are forced to handle the ball."

Forward Laura Methvin ('09) had strong performances in both games, tallying double digits in points.

Thus far, she is averaging 12.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. The Rangers will have their work cut out for them in the following weeks. They again will face the difficult task of playing two games within a 24-hour time period on Feb. 1 and 2.

With eight games remaining on the schedule, reaching .500 is unfortunately out of the 4-13 Rangers reach, but finishing the season on a positive note will bode well for the next season and the development of the team. With a mix of young talent and experienced leadership, the Rangers look poised for an outbreak season.

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