ROCHESTER, N.Y. (January 2, 2009) – Senior guard Dani Dudek posted 11 points to help the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team earn its eighth-straight win of the season on Friday night in Rochester, N.Y. as the Ducks upended Nazareth College 58-42 to tip-off Empire 8 action. Dudek needed 10 points to reach the 1,000 career-point plateau as she tallied 11 to bring her total to 1,001. Freshman guard Melissa Collier recorded a team-high 16 points on six of nine shooting from the floor and was 4-for-6 from the stripe. Stevens moves to 8-1 on the year and 1-0 in Empire 8 play, as the Golden Flyers drop to 5-3 and 0-1, respectively.
Strong performances by freshmen Jillian Barrett and Collier helped to propel Stevens past a strong Nazareth squad. The Ducks held a slight advantage throughout the first half to go into intermission ahead by six. Stevens went on to score the final 18 points to earn its first Empire 8 victory of the season.
The Ducks jumped on top early when sophomore forward Victoria Webber drilled two threes for a 6-0 lead. The Golden Flyers answered back and were able to tie the score at 11 with 12:30 left in the first after sophomore guard Mary Holland (Dryden, N.Y.) hit a pair of her own triples.
Stevens was able to extend its lead back to six with five minutes left when Dudek put in her first field-goal of the contest. Nazareth once again fought back; scoring eight of the game's next 10 points to tie the score at 23 with under two minutes go.
Collier answered the Golden Flyers' spurt with two-straight jump shots to put the Ducks up four and Barrett made a layup to send the Ducks into the locker room with a 29-23 edge. Collier had an excellent first half, scoring eight points and providing a big spark off the bench.
Just over five minutes into the second half, Stevens held a 35-27 advantage before senior guard Sally Wilcox (Millport, N.Y.) knocked down a three to pull the Golden Flyers within five. The basket sparked an 8-2 run by Nazareth as junior guard Kelly Dunne (East Northport, N.Y.) buried a free throw to bring the score to 37-35 in favor of the Ducks. The Golden Flyers took their first lead of the second half when Dunne drained her first three of the contest. Collier responded with a free throw to knot the game at 38-all, then drilled a jumper to regain the lead for the Stevens.
Back and forth baskets saw the contest reach a 42-42 deadlock before a Collier layup once again put Stevens on top 44-42. Over the next 6:30 it was the Ducks all the way as they registered 18 unanswered points. During that stretch, Dudek and Barrett combined for 16 of the 18 posted. Dudek had a field-goal and knocked down five of six attempts from the charity stripe. Her last attempt, with 1:05 remaining in the game was the deciding bucket that brought her career-point total to 1,001.
Barrett finished the contest with 14 points on seven of 14 shooting. She led the team with 12 total rebounds and added a steal. Webber accumulated 10 points, eight rebounds and a block in 28 minutes played. Sophomore center Paige Armstrong had seven total rebounds, three points and a block in the win. Dudek dished out six assists and pulled down eight rebounds. She finished the contest 7-for-9 from the line.
Overall, the Ducks out-rebounded the Golden Flyers 50-38. Stevens shot 35.0 percent from the floor, while Nazareth notched a 26.3 shooting percentage. The Golden Flyers turned the ball over 15 times compared to the Ducks 12.
Stevens will return to the court on Saturday when it takes on St. John Fisher College in league action at 2 p.m. in Pittsford, N.Y. The Ducks defeated the Cardinals in both of its meetings last season. Live stats will be provided as well as live audio at http://www.wysl1040.com/.
