HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 24, 2009) – Senior co-captain Brittany Fuller netted 11 points to become the eighth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team fell to visiting William Paterson University, 71-52, at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks are now 2-2 on the young season, while the upstart Pioneers move to a perfect 4-0.
William Paterson came out firing to start the game, mounting a 9-2 run over the first three minutes of action, capped off by a Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J.) triple. Stevens cut the deficit to four at 16:17 when junior forward Cynthia Hassler connected from long range to make it 9-5, but the Pioneers netted nine straight points capped off by a Danielle Sindorf (Burlington, N.J.) jumper that made it 17-5.
After a BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J.) jumper increased the Stevens deficit to 16 just under the 10 minute mark, the Ducks rallied, with an 8-2 run of their own to pare the lead back down to 10 with 7:24 left in the half, but the Pioneers once again responded with a run of their own, rattling off seven straight points to take a 31-14 lead at the four and a half minute mark.
Following a pair of Kathleen Schuckers free-throw that brought Stevens within 15, William Paterson reeled off five-consecutive points to close out the half to take a 36-16 lead into the intermission.
An April Smith (Barnegat, N.J.) three-ball opened up scoring in the second stanza, putting William Paterson up 23, before five-straight points from Stevens senior co-captain Sarah Gehring trimmed the Ducks deficit to 18.
Unfazed, the Pioneers responded yet again, outscoring Stevens, 26-13, over the next eight minutes of action, to take a 31-point lead. The Ducks would make one final push, cutting the lead to 21 thanks to a 12-2 run, but that was as close as Stevens would get with William Paterson winning going away.
Fuller and sophomore forward Jillian Barrett each tallied a team-high 11 points, with Barrett also totaling nine rebounds. Gehring had nine points and three rebounds in the loss, with sophomore guard Dawn Garcia finishing with eight points and six boards.
Haledjian had a game-high 21 points, with Smith and Lucas finishing with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Haledjian also added seven rebounds and six assists, while Smith and Lucas combined for seven boards and five assists. Senior guard Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn.) chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds.
Stevens is back in action on Sunday, November 29 when it plays host to Montclair State University.
