HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 7, 2009) – Senior guard Dani Dudek recorded 19 points in the second half as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team earned its ninth win of the season in a 90-75 victory over SUNY New Paltz at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. She recorded her fifth double-double of the season as she pulled down 11 rebounds and posted 24 points on the evening. Junior guard Sarah Gehring was five of nine from behind the arc as she tallied 22 points in the win. Stevens is now 9-2 on the year and the Hawks fall to 7-3.
Tied at 16-all with 9:39 remaining in the first half, the Ducks went on a 13-0 run in a span of three minutes. During that stretch, Gehring buried a pair of three-pointers, followed by a three from junior forward Brittany Fuller and a two-point basket by Dudek. After a timeout taken by the Hawks, New Paltz was able to cut the lead to 10 off a quick three points by sophomore forward Artie Williams (Newburgh, N.Y.).
Ahead by nine (36-27) with 2:52 left in the opening half, the Hawks came within five off back-to-back field-goals from freshman forward Caitlin Irwin (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Stevens regained a nine-point lead with 13 seconds remaining, however a swift jumper to beat the buzzer by freshman forward Samantha Delgaudio (Northport, N.Y.), cut the lead to seven as both teams headed to the locker rooms. Gehring led the squad in points (16) in eight minutes off the bench. She knocked down three baskets from downtown and added three field-goals.
Stevens came out and dominated the second half. The closest New Paltz came was within eight points (46-38) with 18 minutes left in regulation. From then on it was the Ducks all the way as they continued to build on their commanding lead. Up by 18 (68-50) with under nine minutes left in the contest, the Hawks battled back to pull within 11 in the closing five minutes of the half. However, the explosive Ducks' offense kept the game out of reach for New Paltz as they tacked on 15 points in the final three minutes of competition. During that time Dudek notched seven points as sophomore guard Brianne Lavin added three free-throws.
Overall, the Ducks out-rebounded the Hawks 46-41. Stevens posted a 52.4 field-goal percentage compared to just 36.2 percent by New Paltz. Three different players recorded seven total boards for the Ducks; Gehring, freshman forward Jillian Barrett and sophomore center Paige Armstrong. Armstrong registered 12 points on six of seven shooting. Fuller and Barrett each finished with eight points apiece.
New Paltz was led by Irwin, who accumulated 22 points, having shot seven of 21 from the floor including five three-pointers. She was also 3-for-4 from the line. Williams finished the game with 16 points as junior guard Maggie Farrell (Hillsdale, N.Y.) had a team-high nine rebounds.
Tonight also featured a special ceremony in honor of senior point guard Dani Dudek. In the recent 58-42 conference win over Nazareth College, she surpassed the 1,000 career-point plateau and was honored before the start of tonight's contest. In addition, Dudek also surpassed the 700 career-rebound mark during tonight's win over New Paltz. Her five boards currently brings her career total to 704.
Stevens will return to action on Tuesday when it continues league action against Utica College at 6 p.m. in Utica, N.Y. Check back at www.stevensducks.com for more information regarding coverage of the contest.
