Madison, NJ (January 4, 2020)-  The Devils women's basketball team rang in the new year on Saturday afternoon as they visited Madison Ave. rival Drew University. The Rangers bested the Devils by a final score of 80-59, dropping FDU to 2-9 on the 2019-20 slate. With the win, Drew improves to 9-3.

The Rangers surged out to a 9-0 lead in the contest, using a potent offensive run to give themselves the early advantage. At the 5:11 mark in the first quarter, senior Cayla Staggers was successful on her layup attempt, sparking a 4-0 run of her own, which culminated with two made free throws. The theme of free throws was a consistent one for FDU for the remainder of the first half, as Staggers, freshman Jayda Bing and sophomore Helen Ishmael all took advantage of trips to the charity stripe. Heading into the second quarter, FDU trailed 15-9.

In the second quarter, the Drew offense overpowered the Devils, as they extended their lead. Despite being behind, junior Aleah Bass knocked down a layup with 7:19 remaining on the second-quarter clock, to cut the Drew lead. A few minutes later, it was Bass once again, as she connected on her two-point field goal attempt. With five seconds remaining in the half, Staggers scored a layup to trim the Rangers lead heading into the halftime break.

Staggers wasted little time to get the Devils on the board in the third quarter, as she hit a layup at the 9:55 mark. Freshman Meadow Garcia got in on the action with 4:46 left as she scored her first two points of the game. With time winding down in the third quarter, freshman Angela Downey connected off of the assist from junior Francesca Shipe for a three-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Downey connected from long range once more, this time off of a pass from classmate Garcia. The Devils headed into the final frame trailing by a score of 62-44.

In the fourth quarter, the Devils turned to familiar faces, as Bass hit a layup with 5:58 left on the clock. With 3:46 remaining, Garcia hit her second of two made baskets on the day. With less than a minute left, Bing executed from three-point territory, cutting into the Rangers lead. The Devils scoring efforts ended with 14 seconds left on the clock when Ishmael netted a free throw attempt. As the final horn sounded, Drew held on for the win.

LEADING DEVILS

Staggers led all Devils point scorers with 18 points. The senior shot 50% from the field, as well as 6-of-8 on free throw attempts. Bing tallied her second double-double of the season, as she scored 13 points and brought down 13 rebounds. Bass scored seven points for the Devils and added five rebounds.

COACHES THOUGHTS
"We need to play for 40 minutes and put the ball in the basket. It's that simple. Two fixes will change outcomes, play tough and put the ball in the basket. We haven't been doing either and if you can't score, you can't win." - Head Coach Melissa Brooks

UP NEXT

With their final non-conference tuneup out of the way, the Devils officially enter Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play. On Wednesday, January 8, FDU pays a visit to DeSales University, for a game beginning at 8 pm.