POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Senior forward Vanessa Williams (Forest Hills, N.Y./Townsend Harris) and senior guard Mia Molfino (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) combined for 23 points in the second half as Stevens Institute of Technology overcame an 11-point halftime deficit in earning a 49-48 victory over Vassar College on Tuesday.

Stevens (1-4) shot just 20.6 percent (7-for-34) in the first half as Vassar (1-3) held a 25-14 lead at the break.

Stevens trailed by seven points, 36-29, with 7:21 remaining in the second half.  The Ducks used an 18-3 run over the next six minutes to pull ahead.  Molfino and Williams combined for 15 of the 18 points.  Freshman guard Rachel Ostroff (North Miami, Fla./Miami Country Day) converted a three-point play with 7:07 left to ignite the run.  Molfino then scored the Ducks’ next seven points, including a pair of free throws at the 4:49 mark that gave Stevens a 39-38 lead.  Williams then took over, scoring the next eight points.  Her free throw with 1:27 left gave the Ducks a 47-39 lead.

Vassar connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute to cut the Stevens lead to 47-45 with 10 seconds left.  Molfino sank a pair of free throws with eight seconds left to increase the margin to four points.  Natalie Serkowski sank a 3-pointer for Vassar as time expired to provide the final 49-48 margin.

Stevens won despite shooting just 27.7 percent from the floor.  The Ducks held a commanding 44-36 rebounding advantage while also forcing the Brewers into 25 turnovers.

Stevens closes out its first semester on Thursday, December 5, when it hosts Centenary College in a 6 p.m. game at the Canavan Arena.