Wilkes Women's Basketball Squeaks by Drew 50-48 Behind Electric Fourth Quarter Comeback
 
MADISON, NJ – The Wilkes women's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak with a thrilling 50-48 win over Drew University in their conference matchup Wednesday night at the Baldwin Gymnasium. The comeback victory was highlighted by a 22-5 run in the fourth quarter. The game also marked Al Berger's 50th career win as a head coach. 
 
The Colonels improved to 6-8 overall and 2-5 in conference play. The loss dropped the Rangers to 4-10 on the season and 2-5 in the Landmark.
 
Taylor Simpson (Dunmore, PA/Lawrenceville School) kicked off the scoring for Wilkes with a corner three to tie the score at three apiece. The Rangers responded quickly, putting up eight unanswered points before Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) drew a foul. Babcock went one-for-two from the line to stop the bleeding for the Colonels.
 
The Wilkes offense was pressured relentlessly by the full-court press of Drew. Meanwhile, Wilkes rebounded well in their defensive zone, causing the scoring to stall for both teams.

Madison Robel (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) broke the scoreless streak by getting off a jumper right before the shot clock expired. Her buzzer-beater cut into the deficit, making it a 15-6 lead for Drew.
 
The Rangers found their stride going into the second quarter, rattling off a 7-0 run before Julianna Askins (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle) answered back with a driving layup to stop the momentum. Askins went on to thread a pass through traffic to Simpson, who knocked down her second shot of the night. With 4:36 to go in the second quarter, the score stood at 22-10.
 
Nadia Evnosky found the scoresheet with a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line that cut into the Ranger lead. Julia Marino (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) took a trip to the line  with 16 seconds to go in the first half and sank both her shots, which were ultimately the final points of the half. Heading into the break, the Colonels trailed Drew 31-14.
 
Simpson led all Colonel players with five points in the first half. Shober brought down four rebounds through 20 minutes. The Rangers shot 30.3 percent from the floor and recorded 24 rebounds to Wilkes' 17.
 
Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) scored the first five points of the third quarter, knocking down a deep ball and laying one up in the paint on consecutive possessions. Her efforts cut the Drew lead down to 12 points with just over eight minutes to go in the quarter.
 
Matos continued to put her offensive skills on display when she stole a ball at halfcourt and scored on a clean fast break. Wilkes trailed by ten points. Her bucket gave the Colonels a 9-2 run to start the second half.
 
Emma Stout (Bangor, PA/Bangor) made her presence known on the court when she picked up a pass from Evanosky on the far side of the three-point arc and drained a shot to make it a 35-28 ball game in favor of the Rangers. The Colonels continued to chip away at the Drew lead with 2:45 to go in the third frame.
 
Drew took a 43-28 lead into the final quarter of action.
 
Evanosky found her stride in the fourth quarter, as the sophomore hit a shot from downtown before tacking on two more points via a layup. Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) then collected her first points of the evening inside the paint to add to her seven rebounds and six blocks.
 
After Matos was fouled under the hoop with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, sending her to the line. The guard knocked down both shots to bring the Ranger advantage down to five points. Matos went on to draw two more fouls and hit two of a possible four points for Wilkes. As time continued to tick down, the Colonels only trailed 48-46.
 
With 2:19 to go, Simpson hit one of the biggest shots of the game from deep to give Wilkes their first lead of the game, 49-48. Marino was fouled on the ensuing Drew possession, sending her to the line with a chance to add some insurance to the Colonel lead. She hit one of two shots to give Wilkes a two-point advantage, which they protected for the remaining four seconds to complete the comeback victory.
 
Matos recorded a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds. She shared the lead in boards with Shober, who also notched a career-high eight blocks on the night. In her first game back from injury, Evanosky dropped nine points and was a perfect two for two at the line.
 
The Rangers were led by Jamie Strubel, who put up 12 points with 13 rebounds and six steals. Amy Rachilla contributed 11 points and shot 4-12 from the floor.
 
The Colonels return to action on Friday, January 12 when they pay a visit to Susquehanna University. Tipoff against the River Hawks is slated for 7:00 p.m.