Women's Basketball Falls To Montclair State

11/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 29, 2009) – Senior co-captain Brittany Fuller netted a team-high 14 points and sophomore forward Jillian Barrett recorded her first double-double of the season, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team fell to Montclair State University, 66-54, at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Fuller, who was honored before the game for becoming just the seventh player in program history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, also pulled down seven boards. The Ducks are now 2-3 on the season, while the Red Hawks move to 3-1 on the year.

Down three after the first five minutes of action, Fuller buried her first three-pointer of the afternoon to pull Stevens even at seven before senior guard Jackie Berry (Tuckerton, N.J.) put Montclair State back on top with a jumper on the ensuing possession.

Still trailing by two just under the 12-minute mark, junior center Victoria O'Connor netted her first points of the day to knot the game at 11, kick-starting a 9-2 Stevens run that gave the Ducks an 18-13 lead at the 7:10 mark. After a Kisandra Ayanbekyu (Brockton, Mass.) layup cut the Red Hawk deficit to four, Stevens senior guard Sarah Gehring connected from long range to give the Ducks their largest lead of the half.

Hoping to pare down the Stevens lead, Montclair State scored seven of the game's next nine points to slice the Ducks edge to one with just 1:18 left in the first, but a 4-1 Stevens rally to close out the half secured a four-point Ducks lead heading into the intermission.

Four-straight Red Hawk points coming out of the break tied the contest at the 19-minute mark, but four consecutive Fuller points coupled with an O'Connor layup gave Stevens a six-point cushion. Still up six following a Dawn Garcia jumper and Gehring free-throw, Barrett converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way, to give the Ducks a 10-point edge with 14:05 left.

Montclair State responded by turning up the heat defensively, holding Stevens to 1-for-8 shooting with four turnovers over the next seven minutes of action, while the Red Hawks mounted a 16-2 run to take a 50-46 lead. After a Fuller jumper and Kathleen Schuckers layup tied the game for the sixth time, Montclair State once again ratcheted up the pressure, employing a full-court press that forced three more turnovers over the next three and a half minutes, as the Red Hawks scored 10 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead with 1:16 remaining, securing their third victory of the season.

Barrett finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds en route to her first double-double of the season, while O'Connor had eight points and a team high 13 boards. Garcia put forth an 11-point, 4-rebound, 2-assist effort in the loss.

Ayanbeku and senior forward Catherine Cristino (Farmingdale, N.J.) each netted a game-high 18 points, while Berry and junior guard Jamilee Pflug (Clark, N.J.) each finished with 11 points. The duo also combined for eight steals, with Pflug adding a game-high seven assists.

Despite out-rebounding the Red Hawks, 45-26, and holding a 16-6 second-chance point advantage and 22-18 points in the paint edge, Montclair State had 12 fewer turnovers than their Stevens counterparts. The Red Hawks took full advantage of the Ducks' miscues, netting 26 points on 26 Ducks turnovers.

Stevens is back in action on Wednesday, December 2 at the University of Scranton.
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