UNION, N.J. (January 19, 2009) – Junior forward Brittany Fuller totaled 13 points on five of 13 shooting to help the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team roll over Elmira College Monday night in Union, N.J. to earn its fourth Empire 8 victory of the season, 72-44. Due to facility issues at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J., the contest was moved from Sunday to today and played at Kean University. The Ducks continued action after they were halted yesterday afternoon, having lead 13-2 with 15:32 remaining in the first half. With tonight's win, Stevens stands at 12-2 on the year and 4-1 in the league.
Stevens picked up from where it left off from the night before and got things started early. The Ducks jumped ahead 15-2 with 14:26 remaining in the first half off consecutive three-pointers from junior guard Sarah Gehring off the feed of senior point guard Dani Dudek. Stevens extended its lead to 20 (25-5) with 11:22 remaining. Back-to-back threes from Fuller and a pair of two-point buckets allowed the Ducks to grab a commanding lead.
The closest the Soaring Eagles came was when they brought the deficit to 14 (15-29) with 4:49 remaining before intermission. The Ducks closed out the half on four jumpers coming from four different members. The last was off the hands of freshman forward Jillian Barrett when she nailed her basket with 30 seconds remaining. Stevens shot 51.6 percent from the floor and knocked down five threes. 16 of the 37 points scored by the Ducks came from inside the paint.
In the second half, Stevens continued its momentum and maintained a 20-point advantage. The Ducks went ahead by 28 (67-39) with 5:08 remaining, off a 14-8 run that took seven minutes. Coming off the bench, freshman guard Dawn Garcia was responsible for seven points during that time on a pair of two-point field-goals and one three ball. Stevens extended its lead to 29 (69-40) after Garcia hit her fifth field-goal of the night. The Ducks cruised to their fourth Empire 8 victory of the season and 12th overall win of the year as three more points were recorded in the final three minutes.
Stevens shot 43.8 percent in the final 20 minutes to produce a 47.6 shooting percentage on the night. The Ducks drained nine three-pointers and owned the boards as they finished with a 41 to 34 rebounding advantage. 25 points scored by Stevens came from its bench. Garcia ended the evening with 12 points on five of nine shooting. Barrett had a solid outing, having hit five field-goals for 10 points. Sophomore center Paige Armstrong pulled down eight rebounds and registered 12 points on six of 10 shooting. Fuller also had eight rebounds (seven defensive), while Dudek notched 10 points, four boards and four assists. Gehring was a point shy of reaching the double-digit mark as her three three-pointers produced nine points.
The Ducks will not get much of a break as they return to the court on Tuesday to host Hartwick College at 6 p.m. in Hoboken, N.J. Following that contest, Stevens will play host to Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday at 6 p.m. and then Ithaca College on Sunday at noon. Tomorrow's game will feature a live webcast at www.Empire8.tv, in addition to live stats.
