MADISON, N.J. (Dec. 3, 2014) — Four Rangers scored in double-digits as the Drew University women's basketball team won its fourth straight game with an 80-54 victory over The United States Merchant Marine Academy in the Landmark Conference opener on Wednesday night in Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
Junior forward Courtney Stephens led the way with her first double-double of the season and 10^th of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Rangers (4-1, 1-0 Landmark) led coast-to-coast against the Mariners (1-3, 0-1) thanks to double-digit scoring efforts from senior guard Breana Wilson (19 points), sophomore forward Ryan Jackson (career-high 18 points) and sophomore guard Hanna Miller (15 points).
 
"We feel good because we're improving everyday," said head coach Brittany Gaetano. "We've been getting quality minutes from a lot of different people, we're playing team basketball, and we're really focusing on our defense and the team is doing a great job with that."
 
The Rangers won four straight games for the first time since starting last season with a 4-0 record. Gaetano's squad knows all about momentum and how it can affect their game positively, but it's not necessarily all about the W's.
 
"We focus more on the way we play rather than the results," Gaetano said. "We work hard each day and it's nice to track our improvement."
 
The Rangers got off to a quick start going up on the Mariners 11-4 in the first six minutes of the contest forcing a time out by the visiting team.
 
Coming out of the time out, the Mariners were able to notch the first basket to cut the Ranger lead, but Drew's offense was able to keep a steady stream of scoring with the help of freshman guard Michaela Keegan converting a baseline shot for her first bucket. Wilson helped stretch the lead to a nine-point difference with nine minutes to play by hitting nothing but net on a three-point field goal.
 
Merchant Marine started to find pockets in the Ranger defense, however the shots ringed off the iron, and Stephens tracked the ball down and collected seven first half rebounds. Stephens' aggressive play on the defensive end transitioned to the offensive side as she collected a basket and forced Mariners to foul. Wilson ended the first half by converting two free throws and the Rangers headed into the half time locker room with a 35-21 lead.
 
Jackson proved once again why she is vital to the Rangers line up with a career-high offensive output. Jackson went 4-of-5 in field goals for eight points in the first half and collected 3 rebounds before finishing the game shooting 9-of-13 from the floor. The scoring in the first half was spread across five players, with Miller leading all scorers with 10 points.
 
The Mariners were able to get on the scoreboard first in the second half, but on the next possession Miller began where she left off in the first by swishing a right side baseline three-pointer. A minute later, Wilson hit an elbow three-pointer.
 
With back and forth runs between the two teams, Jackson was able to collect two offensive rebounds and extended her impressive field goal percentage to 6-of-7 in the first five minutes of the second half. The Rangers started to find their rhythm on offense with sophomore forward Courtney Trzasko netting her first bucket of the game on a left baseline three-pointer. As the Mariners tried to chip away, the Rangers continued to respond and delivered taking a 54-33 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game.
 
Stephens continued to have a well-rounded performance. With a little over eight minutes left in the game she collected her 10^th rebound for her 10^th career double-double.
 
Merchant Marine's senior Demi VanDerWal led all scorers with 23 points.
 
The Rangers begin a month-long, five-game stint away from Baldwin Gym on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 p.m. at Goucher College for a Landmark Conference contest.