HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 2, 2010) – Senior co-captain Brittany Fuller and sophomore forward Jillian Barrett each poured in a game-high 18 points to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team to a 67-58 victory over St. John Fisher College at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks are now 5-4 overall and 3-0 in Empire 8 play, while the Cardinals fall to 4-2 and with a 1-1 ledger against league opponents.

Stevens roared out to an 11-0 lead over the first eight minutes of action, connecting on five of its first eight shots from the field, while holding St. John Fisher to 0-for-7 shooting. Barrett netted four of the game's first six points to spur the Stevens run. Sophomore guard Dawn Garcia capped off the stretch with a triple at the 12:46 mark.

Freshman guard Jessica Krzemien (East Concord, N.Y.) put the Cardinals on the board with a pair of free-throws just shy of the 12-minute mark, but the Ducks rattled off eight of the game's next 10 points to take a commanding 19-4 advantage.

After a Krzemien layup at 8:03 pulled St. John Fisher within 10, Stevens responded with a 20-3 run, capped off by six-straight Paige Armstrong points, to take a 29-point lead, but the Cardinals pared the deficit to 23 with six-consecutive points to close out the half.

Barrett upped the lead to 27, wrapping up a 6-2 second-half run with a jumper at 18:12, before the Cardinals mounted an 8-2 run of their own, capped off by a Stephanie Sweeney (Albany, N.Y.) three, to cut the lead to 19 with just over 15 minutes remaining.

Down 22 just shy of the seven minute mark, St. John Fisher reeled off 12-straight points to pull within eight. Junior Amanda Lax (Warwick, N.Y.) kicked-off the rally with a jumper at 7:15, before capping things off by converting a three-point play the old-fashioned way with just under four minutes remaining. The Warwick, N.Y. native tallied seven points during the Cardinals' crucial run that sliced the Stevens lead to single-digits.

Still trailing by nine with just 22 second left in regulation, Sweeney connected on a pair of free-throws to cut it to seven before a Kristen Taliento (Henrietta, N.Y.) steal and layup pulled the Cardinals within five, but that was as close as St. John Fisher would get as the Ducks closed out the game with a 4-for-4 showing from the charity stripe, sealing their third-consecutive victory.

Fuller pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her game-high 18 points, while Barrett added six boards. Garcia finished with 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Armstrong and junior center Victoria O'Connor netted eight points apiece.

Lax led the way for St. John Fisher offensively, scoring 17 points, while Sweeney added 14 points and four rebounds. Sophomore center Kristi Jeffres (Wyoming, N.Y.) added 11 points and six rebounds, while Taliento finished with 10 points and seven boards.

Stevens will look to make it four in a row when it squares off with Nazareth College on January 3.