PITTSFORD, N.Y. (January 3, 2009) – Senior guard Dani Dudek tallied 18 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team fell short in a 58-57 decision against conference opponent St. John Fisher College Saturday afternoon in Pittsford, N.Y. The loss snapped an eight-game win streak by the Ducks as they drop to 8-2 on the season and 1-1 in Empire 8 play. Freshman guard Melissa Collier repeated from last night's performance as she posted 14 points on five of seven shooting and was 4-for-4 from the line.
Fisher led 10-9 with 11:20 left in the first half, but went on a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to take a 24-11 lead and led 34-21 at intermission. Fisher controlled the glass in the first half, out-rebounding the Ducks 24-15 and forced Stevens to shoot just 25 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes. The leading scorer for the Ducks in the first half was Collier with eight points.
However, the second half was a different story for the Ducks. Down by nine (40-49) with 9:11 left in the game, Stevens went on a 15-0 run to jump ahead 55-19 with 3:49 remaining. During the stretch, Dudek recorded six points on three field-goals, while Collier and freshman forward Jillian Barrett combined for eight points.
It was then the Cardinals turn as they responded with a 6-0 run to take a 56-55 lead off a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Colleen Maloney (Liverpool, N.Y.) with 1:56 left. Sophomore guard Stephanie Sweeney (Albany, N.Y.) pushed Fisher's lead to two at 57-55 with 18 seconds left, by making one of two free throws. It was then Collier, who scooped up a loose ball in the lane and made a short jumper with 3.8 seconds left tying the contest at 57.
On Fisher's final possession, Maloney inbounded the ball and heaved an overhand pass to sophomore guard Amanda Lax (Warwick, N.Y.), who caught the ball at the top of the opposite key. Lax missed a short jumper, but got her own rebound before heading to the line with time expired. Her first shot missed the right side of the rim, but her second attempt was good as St. John Fisher improves to 5-2 on the year and 1-1 in league action.
Dudek finished six of seven from the charity stripe and added three steals. Barrett led the team in total rebounds (seven), had four points and posted a pair of steals. Junior forward Brittany Fuller and sophomore center Paige Armstrong each recorded five points and four rebounds apiece.
The Ducks shot 32.8 percent from the floor, while the Cardinals notched a 36.5 field-goal percentage. Stevens was out-rebounded 43 to 36, but had four fewer turnovers (15 to 19).
Stevens will return to action on Wednesday when it hosts SUNY New Paltz at 7 p.m. in the Canavan Arena. Live stats will be provided in addition to a live video feed by www.Empire8.tv.
