Courtney Cunningham (Garden City, NY/Our Lady of Mercy) scored her 1,000th career point as she led Drew to a 72-62 victory over Union at Baldwin Gym, in Madison. Cunningham needed 23 points entering the game and obliged by netting 24. Melissa Kraft added 18 and Allison Hartnett had 10. Maria Tobin and Krystal Hammond led the Dutchwomen. Drew improves to 7-5 with their second consecutive win while Union falls to 3-6.
The Dutchwomen started the game on the front foot as they quickly built a 9-3 lead thanks to a pair of buckets from Michelle Rogers and a three from Marissa Dwyer. The Rangers responded with a huge 25-5 run over the next ten minutes to establish a lead the would not relinquish. It was Cunningham who did the majority of the damage with eight points and three steals in the run. Melissa Kraft had a three and knocked down two jumpers while JaQuelia Conley added a layup and a nice old-fashioned three point play. Though up by 14 points, the game was far from over for the Rangers as the Dutchwomen mounted a rally of their own. Union cut the Ranger lead to four by the end of the half, thanks in part to eight points from Devon Ciliberto and six from Krystal Hammond. The first half came down to a battle of Union’s inside superiority (a 21-13 rebounding advantage) against the Rangers long-range shooting and guard play; Cunningham finished the first half with 15 while Kraft added 12.
Maggie Marquis sparked the Rangers’ early second half run that rebuilt their advantage. In the first nine minutes of play in the second half Marquis had five points, four steals and an assist as Drew built a 19-point edge. The Ranger lead never dipped below double digits as Drew showed toughness in pulling out the win.
For Cunningham, the landmark point came with 5:19 remaining in the game on a free throw. Currently ranked ninth in the country with a 91.4 free throw percentage, Cunningham hit 13 of 14 today including the record breaker. The Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, Cunningham’s achievement is even more impressive due to the fact that she missed all of her sophomore season due to injury. As a junior last year, she was named to the Freedom Conference first team and led the conference in scoring. Already fourth on the Drew career scoring average list as the season began, she now ranks 9th all-time in career points with 1,001. She ranks in the Top Ten on Drew’s single season charts for points, points per game, rebounds, steals and assists. Add in her Regional All-American status in women’s lacrosse and it is clear why she is considered one of the best female athlete’s in Drew’s history. She joins fellow class- and backcourtmate Melissa Kraft as two of Drew’s nine 1,000 point scorers.
The Rangers get back into action on Wednesday as they re-open their Freedom Conference campaign by hosting Delaware Valley. The Rangers are currently 2-0 in conference action.
Newspaper Box Score UNION vs Drew Rangers 01/07/07 2:00 at Drew University At Drew University DREW RANGERS 72, UNION 62 UNION (3-6) Maria Tobin 4-9 0-0 12; Krystal Hammond 4-11 4-6 12; Devon Ciliberto 4-7 0-0 8; Michelle Rogers 3-9 0-0 6; Rachel Ormsby 2-3 2-7 6; Marissa Dwyer 1-5 2-2 5; Selin Whitham 2-5 0-0 5; Rachel Scott 1-1 0-0 3; Sarah Krammen 1-1 1-2 3; Rachel Titcomb 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 23-57 9-17 62. DREW RANGERS (7-5) Courtney Cunningham 4-14 13-14 24; Melissa Kraft 7-19 2-4 18; Allison Hartnett 3-5 4-4 10; Maggie Marquis 1-2 4-6 6; Laura Methvin 3-8 0-0 6; JaQuelia Conley 2-2 1-1 5; Genie Valantassis 1-1 0-0 3; Jessica Delvecchio 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 24-29 72. UNION......................... 33 29 - 62 Drew Rangers.................. 37 35 - 72 3-point goals-UNION 7-14 (Maria Tobin 4-7; Selin Whitham 1-2; Marissa Dwyer 1-2; Rachel Scott 1-1; Michelle Rogers 0-1; Devon Ciliberto 0-1), Drew Rangers 6-20 (Courtney Cunningham 3-7; Melissa Kraft 2-10; Genie Valantassis 1-1; Jessica Delvecchio 0-1; Maggie Marquis 0-1). Fouled out--UNION-Michelle Rogers, Drew Rangers-Genie Valantassis. Rebounds-UNION 48 (Krystal Hammond 13), Drew Rangers 30 (Melissa Kraft 7). Assists-UNION 11 (Marissa Dwyer 3; Krystal Hammond 3), Drew Rangers 9 (Melissa Kraft 4). Total fouls-UNION 25, Drew Rangers 20. A-120 Courtney Cunningham scores 1,000th career point.