Gina Joyce had a career-high eight assist along with no turnovers and five steals.

HOBOKEN, N.J. – Senior guard Aracely Cruz (Union City, N.J./Union Hill) scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Stevens Institute of Technology to a 64-49 win over Vassar College on Wednesday in a women’s basketball game at the Canavan Arena.

Stevens (3-3) used a big second half to win its third straight.  Vassar (3-5) struggled from the floor as it shot just 30.8 percent (20-for-65).

Stevens scored the final three points of the first half to take a 26-24 lead into halftime.  The Ducks then scored the first 11 points of the second half as they opened up a 37-24 lead with 16:25 left.  Cruz scored the first four points of the second half while junior Jaime Mehnert (Waldwick, N.J./Waldwick) followed with a 3-pointer.  Sophomore Jenna Gambino (Staten Island, N.Y./St. John Villa Academy) and junior Lauren Bialko added baskets in the first four minutes of the half.

Vassar never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.  The Brewers were just 10-for-31 from the floor in the second half and went just 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.  Stevens held its largest lead, 62-41 on a three-point play by Cruz with 4:21 left.

Neither team led by more than three points in a close first half that featured four ties and ten lead changes.  Cruz had 16 of the Ducks’ 26 first-half points.

Vassar was led by sophomore Meredith McGair who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.  Sophomore Erin Harper also finished in double figures with 10 points while contributing seven assists.

Mehnert had 11 points and seven rebounds while Gambino also finished in double figures with 10 points.  Sophomore guard Gina Joyce (Fort Myers, Fla./Cypress Lake) recorded a career-high eight assists (no turnovers) with five steals while playing all 40 minutes.

Stevens closes out its first semester on Saturday, December 13 with a 2 p.m. non-conference game against Rutgers-Newark.