Acorn

Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kerry Klug Guard Allison Harnett ('10) drives past Susquehanna defender during a 54-48 loss that eliminated the Rangers from playoff contention.

Although the Drew University women's basketball team has one game left against Landmark Conference opponents United States Merchant Marine Academy, they will be playing for pride and pride alone.

The Rangers saw their playoff aspirations slip away with a nail-biter of a loss to the Susquehanna Crusaders.

With the loss, the Rangers stand at 6-18 record overall, with a 4-9 record against Landmark Conference opponents. Unfortunately, this means, playing beyond the regular season for anything but fun is beyond the Ranger's grasp. The past week did not go as the Ranger's anticipated. The Rangers faced the Juniata College Eagles on Feb. 16 at the Simon Forum. The squad knew they had their work cut out for them. Juniata came in with a 14-8 record and a 7-4 conference record. The Rangers played solid ball in the first half, and took a lead into the break. Drew cut back on the turnovers, but in the end, the women did not give themselves enough of a cushion to surmount Juniata's second half attack. The Eagles pulled out a close one by the score of 55-51. Despite the tough loss, the women were pleased with their play.

"I was really proud of the way we played as a team on Saturday against Juniata," forward Lauren Koed ('10) said. "Our defense was really what made it such a close game - it just sucks that we couldn't pull out a win."

All things considered, Susquehanna University may be the most disappointing loss of the season. The day after suffering the loss to Juniata, the Rangers lost another close one. Drew sputtered in the beginning, and faced a 9-point deficit at intermission. The Rangers cut the lead to two points late, but the Crusaders made clutch free-throws down the stretch. In the end, the Crusaders pulled away with a 6-point victory. "Losing is always disappointing, but the hurt is always felt more when the stakes are high like this past weekend," forward Ann Mularz ('09) said. What made the loss even more agonizing was the fact the Rangers made the game so close and were well aware of their capability. "Susquehanna is such a beatable team, we really should have won," Koed said. "The fact that that loss put us out of the running for playoffs made it that much more of a heartbreaker." Despite this, "I was really impressed by the way some people stepped up," Koed said.

It will be tough to go another year without making the playoffs. In the Rangers' first year in the Landmark Conference, they showed they could play with their opponents, especially within the conference. Without recognizing mistakes, it is impossible for a team to improve. With this in mind, the women will hope to be better by the time the 2008-2009 basketball season rolls around.

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