ITHACA, N.Y. (February 27, 2009) – Sophomore center Paige Armstrong tallied 17 points and pulled in 10 boards as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team edged out a 57-53 win over Utica College in the semifinals of the 2008-09 Empire 8 Championships held in Ithaca, N.Y. Having avenged its championship loss to the Pioneers from last year's league finals, tonight's victory featured over a dozen lead changes and was tied six different times.

With the game knotted at 44-44, sophomore guard Devon Croll (Vernon, N.Y.) hit a pair of free-throws to give the Pioneers a slight advantage. It was then Armstrong, who went to the line and converted one of two attempts. Sophomore center Casey Orlando (Haddon Heights, N.J.) buried a jumper to make it a three-point game as Stevens took a timeout to talk things over.

Then trailing 48-45 with 6:01 left in regulation, junior forward Brittany Fuller brought it within one when she landed a field-goal from inside the paint. The Ducks regained the lead (49-48) with 4:26 to go, after Armstrong grab the offensive board for the put back. She stayed hot for Stevens, having drained two crucial free-throws in her next trip to the line to give the Ducks a three-point advantage. Senior guard Mallory Davis (Vernon-Rockville, Conn.) kept Utica in it after she drained both attempts at the charity stripe.

The Ducks went back up by three off a layup from junior guard Sarah Gehring. But the Pioneers were resilient, bringing the contest back within one when Croll hit a pair of free-throws. However, Armstrong sealed the deal after she sunk both her attempts at the line with less than two minutes to go. The Pioneers could not put anything together as they fall overall on the season to 19-7.

Stevens shot 40.4 percent from the field on the night, while the Pioneers produced a 28.1 shooting percentage. The Ducks out-rebounded Utica 50-34 and produced four blocks, thanks to Fuller. Armstrong finished 6 of 12 from the floor and was 5 of 7 from the charity stripe. Fuller notched 14 points and led with 11 boards. Senior point guard Dani Dudek and freshman guard Melissa Collier each tallied seven points in the win. Dudek dished out six assists and pulled down 10 rebounds.

For the second year in a row, the Ducks have advanced to the final round of the Empire 8 Championship and will take on Ithaca at 7 p.m. For more information on tonight's win, please visit the release entitled: On the Road; Women's Basketball Gears up for Empire 8 Championship. At some time during the course of the trip, photos will be posted. Also, all the media links will be the same for Saturday's title game. If the Ducks were to win, Stevens would receive an automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs; its first in the program's 13-year history.