HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 7, 2007) – Sophomore forward Brittany Fuller collected a game-high 19 points and shot 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from downtown on Friday evening as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team downed Elmira College, 69-48, in an Empire 8 clash from the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. With the win, the Ducks have won five of their last six and went to 6-2 overall on the year. They also own a conference record of 3-0. As for the Soaring Eagles, they dropped to 3-4 and 1-1 in league action.
Stevens opened up the game with a 20-0 run in the first 7:04. Senior guard Jean Matusiak sparked the streak with a lay-up and Fuller, who had 14 points in the first half, capped it off with a three-pointer at 12:58. Freshman center/forward Paige Armstrong and junior guard Dani Dudek had four points each in the burst.
After that, Elmira scored the next six points. Freshman guard Tesia Kaczynski (Mansfield, Pa.) drained a pair of trifectas at the 12:34 and 11:54 marks, which cut the hosts lead to 20-6 with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Ducks responded with a 9-3 run to open up a 22-point lead with 7:13 left before the break. In that span, Fuller and freshman forward/guard Victoria Webber each notched a three-pointer.
With Stevens leading 36-14 with a little more than four minutes remaining, Elmira capped off the half with an 8-2 spurt. Senior guard Kourtney Troutman (South Dayton, N.Y.) converted a three-point play at 3:30 to cut the deficit to 36-18. The Ducks ended up going into the intermission ahead by a score of 38-22.
Up 40-24 with 17:31 to go in the game, the Ducks used an early 9-2 run in a span of three minutes to grab a 49-26 advantage with 14 minutes left. Fuller, Matusiak, Dudek and senior forward Dora Enright all contributed points in the streak. The Soaring Eagles came back with an identical burst in a period of 3:38 to come within 14 points, which was the closest they would get the rest of the game. Freshman guard Becky Peterman (Glen Gardner, N.J.) began the spurt with a lay-up and senior guard Katrina Jax (Chandler, Ariz.) ended it with a jumper at 11:06 to make it 51-37.
Stevens shot 45.3 percent (29-for-64) from the field, while Elmira registered a field-goal percentage of 34.0 (18-for-53). Dudek finished one rebound shy of a triple-double as she accumulated 13 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and four steals. Matusiak ended up with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three assists. Armstrong added seven points and seven rebounds.
The Soaring Eagles were headed up by senior guard/forward Bridget Catanese (Yardley, Pa.), who compiled eight points and four rebounds. Peterman picked up eight points as well off a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
Head Coach Jon Hochberg and the Ducks return to action this Sunday when they wrap up their two-game home swing against Empire 8 rival Ithaca College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and all of the action can be followed at www.Empire8.tv.
