Women's Basketball Drops Road Game Against Drew to Begin 2017

Women's Basketball Drops Road Game Against Drew to Begin 2017

Madison, N.J. – The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team opened the 2017 calendar year with an 81-63 setback against Drew University in non-conference action on Thursday evening at Baldwin Gymnasium.

The Falcons (6-5) saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with their second road loss in a row, while the Rangers (4-7) scored their fourth consecutive triumph against Albertus Magnus.

Junior foward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) paced the offensive attack for the visitors with her team-leading sixth double-double of the season thanks to a 16-point, 14-rebound performance. Bolden hit six shots from the field and four from the charity striple, while eight of her boards came on the offensive end. Senior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.) chipped in 13 for the Falcons to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore point guard Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) was the other AMC player in double figures with 10 points. Johnson also added six rebounds and one block for the guests.

Senior guard Hannah Miller made her return to the court following a two-game absence with a game-high 25 points on the strength of six 3-pointers for the hosts. Junior center Ally Raulf pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and added 14 points for her first career double-double as well for the Rangers and senior forward Sam Lane recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards – four of which came on the offensive glass, a season high.

The Rangers jumped out to an early lead in the opening quarter thanks to a 9-0 run to start the game and a shooting percentage north of 60 percent by the period's end. Miller made her return to the court quickly noticeable by hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping Drew to a 21-12 lead in the opening period as the hosts never looked back.

Drew began the second just as they did the first on a game-changing run. The Rangers spread the offense around with points by Raulf, Lane, Keegan and Miller contributing to an 11-0 to put Drew up by 20 less than two minutes into the second period.

The Falcons quickly responded with a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 35-23, but the Rangers maintained a double-digit lead until midway through the quarter. That's when Albertus Magnus put together another stint to cut deeper into the Drew lead, which dwindled down to five midway through the second.

Back-to-back layups from Raulf and an aggressive drive to the hoop from Keegan put the Rangers back out front by double-digits with 5:12 to play in the third. The Falcons would not get the deficit below 10 points until the last shot of the quarter, when Drew headed into the final period up 59-50.

Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, January 7, with a road Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tilt against Rivier that is slated to tip at 1:00 pm. The Falcons are looking to avenge an 89-77 loss at home to the Raiders last winter.

For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.