ALFRED, N.Y. (January 16, 2009) – Sophomore center Paige Armstrong posted 12 points on six of seven shooting to help lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team to its third Empire 8 win of the season in a 65-42 victory over the Saxons of Alfred University Friday night in Alfred, N.Y. Four of five Stevens' starters scored in double figures as the Ducks improve to 11-2 on the year and 3-1 in league action.
Stevens out-shot the Saxons (6-6, 1-4) 41.9 percent from the floor compared to the 25.9 percent produced by Alfred. The Ducks held a slight rebound advantage (44 to 41) and turned the ball over four fewer times (8 to12).
The Ducks were slow out of the gate, having shot 33 percent from the floor and were just 4-for-17 from three-point range. Junior guard Sarah Gehring opened the contest having hit one of her four three-pointers of the night. With 10:02 remaining in the half, the Ducks were ahead 12-10 before junior forward Brittany Fuller buried a three to give Stevens a five-point advantage. Stevens increased its lead to eight (21-13) with under five to go in the first half. Freshman forward Jillian Barrett landed a pair of field-goals inside the paint as Gehring followed up with a jumper.
Turnovers by both teams saw the score reach 24-16 in the Ducks favor with 1:52 remaining. Sophomore guard Lyndsay Murphy (Almond, N.Y.) brought the Saxons within five when she drilled a three ball off an assist from junior guard Lisa Button (Troupsburg, N.Y.). The Ducks went to the locker rooms having lead 26-19 after sophomore forward Cindy Hassler laid in a basket off a dish from Gehring.
Stevens came out firing in the second half as the Ducks shot 51.7 percent from the field. Ahead 37-30 with 11:30 remaining in regulation, Stevens went on a 20-7 run to grab a 20-point lead in over a five-minute span. During that stretch, Dudek tallied five points as Gehring nailed her fourth three of the game. Fuller added two consecutive jumpers followed by a pair of layups by Armstrong. Missed free-throws late in the game allowed Stevens to pull away and increase its edge. The Ducks maintained a 20 plus advantage, which they carried en route to their 11th win of the season.
Gehring, Dudek and Fuller each tallied 11 points on the night. Armstrong was the fourth Duck to register double digits in scoring with 12 points. Fuller led the squad with nine rebounds as Dudek dished out three assists. She was also 5-for-5 from the line. Gehring finished the game with seven defensive boards.
The Ducks will be back in action on Sunday when they host Elmira College at noon in the Canavan Arena for the fifth Empire 8 contest of the season. Live stats will be provided including a webcast at www.Empire8.tv.
