NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 7, 2009) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team came up short against No. 14 New York University in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday night in New York, N.Y. The Ducks came within two in the first half, but a late 14-4 run by the Violets in the second, helped to secure the win for NYU en route to its advancement to the Sweet 16. Sophomore center Paige Armstrong led the way with her seventh double-double of the season on 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Ducks finish the season 23-6 and wrapped up the 2008-09 campaign as the first team in Stevens women's basketball history to reach the NCAA Tournament. Stevens finished a win shy of tying the most wins in a season of 24.
Trailing by 10 (16-6) after the first five minutes of action, Stevens came back within three off a layup from Armstrong, a short jumper by freshman forward Jillian Barrett and a three ball by junior forward Brittany Fuller. NYU then posted an 8-0 run to go up by 11 (24-13) with 10:56 left in the first half.
The Ducks recorded an 11-3 run to close in on the deficit (27-24) with just over 6 minutes remaining. During the spurt, Armstrong knocked down a pair of jumpers as junior guard Sarah Gehring dialed up a deep three-pointer. A jumper by senior point guard Dani Dudek with a little over two minutes to go brought the margin to one possession (30-28 NYU). Senior forward Jessica McEntee (Flushing, N.Y.) closed out the half after she nailed a pair of free-throws to finish the first 20 minutes with 15 total points on 4-of-4 from downtown. Stevens received 18 points from its bench in the first half and produced a 33 percent shooting percentage.
Gehring opened the second half for Stevens with a three-point field-goal to bring the score to 36-32 in favor of the Violets. NYU built its lead to 13 (47-34) within the first five minutes. The Ducks were able to close in and bring the game within six (49-43) with 10:43 remaining in regulation. During that run, Garcia drilled a three as Gehring hit a pair of jumpers. Sophomore center Christine Kilmurray (Wall, N.J.) came in off the bench for NYU and helped to engineer a 14-4 run by the Violets as Kilmurray was responsible for nine points. NYU grabbed a 16-point lead with seven minutes remaining and maintained a 10-point advantage till the end.
Stevens had many opportunities, but had a hard time capitalizing. They forced 14 turnovers and only registered eight. The Ducks had a difficult time getting a good look at the basket as many shots rimmed out or just came up slightly short. Gehring finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Dudek had four points, four boards and four assists in tonight's loss. Stevens was out-rebounded 45-35 as NYU finished with a 44.4 shooting percentage. The Ducks were 22-of-65 (33.8%) from the floor and drilled six three-point field-goals on the night.
The 2008-09 team has much to be proud of, as the first squad to win an Empire 8 Championship and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. Dudek played her final 36 minutes in a Ducks uniform with all her heart. She will go down as arguably the best player to take the court for Stevens. She accomplished so much individually this year and was the driving force for why Stevens succeeded the way it did. In her career, Dudek accumulated 1,284 points, 844 rebounds and 679 assists. To say she will be sorely missed is an understatement.
“There was a lot of adversity that this team overcame,” said Head Coach Jon Hochberg. “There were many highs and lows, but the team never stopped competing; we tried to get better everyday. The tough games that we had we turned into a positive and learned from them as we carried it into postseason play. I am so proud of this team,” added Hochberg. “We fought through the injuries and became the best team we could be; that was our goal and it occurred at the best time of the year.”
“It was a historic season,” said Hochberg. “It was so fulfilling to coach such a great group of girls. The team and I feel that the Stevens community is proud of what we have accomplished. Dani dudek will be desperately missed. We became a better program because of what she has sacrificed in her four-year career as a student-athlete. The team will gain from her leadership and her outstanding work ethic. We love her and thank her for everything she has done as we look forward to a step in the right direction for next year."
