HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 6, 2009) – Junior forward Brittany Fuller landed 10 points and pulled in 12 boards to help the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball to their ninth Empire 8 win of the year in a 59-52 victory over Alfred University. Ahead by one (53-52) with just over a minute in regulation, Fuller came up with a huge block for a turnover, which the Ducks converted into a three-point play to go up by four en route to their 17th win of the season. Three other members scored double figures as the loss drops Alfred to 10-9 overall and 4-6 in league play.
Stevens got in a hole early as the Ducks fell behind 2-11 to start the game. Freshman guard Christina Jordan (Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.) sparked the scoring spurt for the Saxons as she nailed a jumper. Senior guard Melanie Jackson (Andover, N.Y.) put Alfred up 4-0 with a layup. Jackson landed two more field-goals, while sophomore guard Lyndsay Murphy (Almond, N.Y.) got her first points of the game off a three ball. The Ducks only response was a layup by freshman forward Jillian Barrett.
However a 30 second timeout by the Ducks fueled a 20-7 run by Stevens in a span of nine minutes. During that stretch, Fuller and sophomore forward Cindy Hassler combined for 10 of the points as they each drained a pair of jumpers and connected twice from downtown. However, the Saxons would not back down as they tied the contest for the second time at 27-all. Junior guard Sarah Gehring put the Ducks back up by three off a dish from senior point guard Dani Dudek with 1:25 left in the half. It was then Murphy at the one-minute mark, who hit her third three-point field-goal of the half to knot everything up at 30, as both teams headed to the locker rooms. Stevens saw 10 of its first-half points come from its bench. Alfred shot 35.3 percent from the field, while the Ducks registered a 31.4 team-shooting percentage.
In the second half the Ducks trailed by five (34-39) with 14:24 to go in the game. Then the fireworks started as Hassler came off the bench and drilled a pair of buckets from behind the arc in a span of two minutes to help lift Stevens to a 40-39 advantage. Murphy responded with her fourth three ball of the night to put the Saxons up by two. A Dudek jumper tied the contest for the fourth time at 42-all. The Ducks then went to work. Gehring landed her third three-point field-goal, followed by a layup off the hands of Fuller to put Stevens up by three (47-44). The Ducks tacked on six more points coming from Fuller and Gehring.
Trailing 49-53 with 4:34 remaining, Murphy brought Alfred within one when she buried her sixth three-pointer of the night. However, it was then the strong defensive play by Fuller as she stuffed Jackson, good enough that the ball rolled out of bounds having been touched last by an Alfred player. It was Dudek that converted a traditional three-point play to put Stevens ahead, 56-52 with under a minute to play. Some last desperation attempts by the Saxons were unsuccessful as the Ducks went on to win its third straight, 59-52.
Stevens shot 36.8 percent from the floor, while the Saxons posted a 32.8 shooting percentage on the night. The Ducks out-rebounded Alfred 45-36 and scored 20 points from inside the box, while the bench recorded 18 points during the win. Gehring, Dudek and Hassler all scored double figures for Stevens. Gehring was four of 10 from the field for 12 points as she totaled seven rebounds. Dudek registered her eighth double-double of the season on 11 points and 12 boards. She was two assists shy of making it her sixth career triple-double. Hassler finished with 11 points on four of seven shooting.
For Alred, Murphy led with 20 points and eight total rebounds. Jackson followed with 12 points. Junior guard Libby Meier (Rochester, N.Y.) dished out three assists and pulled in eight boards.
Tonight's win closes out the Ducks seven-game homestand as they return to action on Tuesday against Ithaca College. Stevens will travel to Ithaca, N.Y. to take on the Bombers at 6 p.m. The last time these two teams met, Ithaca defeated Stevens 49-47.
