Three Ducks Score In Double-Figures But Women's Basketball Falls Short Against No. 4 Scranton

12/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

SCRANTON, Pa. (December 2, 2009) – Senior co-captain Brittany Fuller paved the way for a balanced Stevens attack, netting a game-high 23 points, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team fell to USA/ESPN WCBA No. 4 University of Scranton, 76-63, at the John Long Center in Scranton, Pa. Junior Victoria O'Connor and sophomore Dawn Garcia rounded out the trio of Ducks in double figures with 11 points apiece as Stevens falls to 2-4 on the young season. The Royals are now 5-0 on the year.

Down six in the early going following a Megan Kopecki (Millington, N.J.) triple, Stevens rattled off seven of the game's next nine points, to pull within one. Still clinging a to a one-point edge at the 10:44 mark, Scranton junior guard Jennifer King (Taylor, Pa.) connected from long range to momentarily give the Royals a four-point cushion, but a O'Connor three-point play less than two minutes later would once again pare the Ducks' deficit to one.

Up 24-23 just shy of the six-minute mark, Scranton reeled off six unanswered points capped off by a pair of King free-throws to increase the lead to seven, but a resilient Ducks squad responded with an 8-1 run of their own over the next two and a half minutes, buoyed by a pair of threes from Fuller and Garcia, to pull even at 31.

A Sidney Jaques (Rosemont, N.J.) three-pointer coupled with a Molly Klusek (Philadelphia, Pa.) layup gave the Royals a five-point lead with 1:33 remaining in the half, but Stevens rallied once again, getting a three of their own from senior co-captain Sarah Gehring to pull within two heading into the intermission.

Klusek netted back-to-back baskets to open the second stanza, sparking a 15-4 Scranton run over the first six minutes of action to wrestle control of the contest. Stevens responded with back-to-back baskets by Gehring and sophomore forward Jillian Barrett to trim the Royals' lead to nine with 12:40 remaining.

Trailing 60-51 at the 6:43 mark, Fuller again connected from downtown to make it a six-point game, but Scranton would pull away with a 12-3 run over the next five minutes, securing their fifth-straight victory, while handing Stevens its fourth-consecutive loss.

Fuller had five rebounds and three assists, to go along with her game-high 23 points, while O'Connor finished with seven rebounds. Garcia added five assists and a pair of steals, while Barrett had eight points and 14 rebounds. Gehring finished with nine points and five assists in the loss.

Kopecki and King led the way for Scranton with 16 points each, while junior forward Courtney Roselle (Cedar Grove, N.J.) chipped in with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Senior guard Ryan Mooney (Spring City, Pa.) put forth a 7-rebound, 6-point, 4-assist effort in the win.

Stevens opens up conference play at Alfred University on Saturday, December 5 before squaring off with Rochester Institute of Technology on Sunday, December 6.
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