HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 3, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team captured their fourth-consecutive win with a 51-37 triumph over visiting Nazareth College at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Sophomore forward Jillian Barrett tallied a game-high 13 points and 12 rebounds to propel the Ducks to their sixth win of the season. Stevens is now 6-4 on the year with a 4-0 mark against conference opponents. Nazareth falls to 7-3 overall and 2-2 in Empire 8 play.
Stevens raced out to an early 13-2 lead thanks to a stifling defense which held the Golden Flyers to just one field goal over the first eight minutes of action. Sophomore guard Dawn Garcia netted five points during the Ducks' opening run, burying the game's first triple at 15:08 before connecting on a jumper just shy of the 12-minute mark.
Nazareth sophomore Brittany Wilson (Fairport, N.Y.) momentarily quelled the Stevens' tide with a three-pointer at 11:39, bringing Nazareth within eight, but the Ducks responded by scoring four-straight points to take a 17-5 edge. After a Brittany Patenaude (Watertown, N.Y.) jumper pared the lead to 11, the Ducks responded with five unanswered points, capped off by a Barrett jumper, to take a 29-13 lead. Still up 16 with eight seconds left in the half, Barrett connected on another jumper to stake Stevens to an 18-point cushion heading into the intermission.
Hoping to climb back into the game, Nazareth reeled off six-consecutive points to start the second stanza, slicing the lead to 12 after a Kelly Dunne (East Northport, N.Y.) triple. Stevens senior co-captain Brittany Fuller upped the lead back up to 15 with a trey of her own at the 16:17 mark, but senior guard Kylie Bartlett (Solvay, N.Y.) answered with a three on the Golden Flyers ensuing possession to keep Nazareth within striking distance.
After a pair of Jenee Vanderstyne (Victor, N.Y.) free-throws cut the Golden Flyer deficit to single-digits with just over eight minutes to play, Garcia drained a jumper from the right elbow to end a nine-minute Stevens' field-goal drought, while once again giving the Ducks a double-digit margin.
Undeterred, Nazareth mounted an 8-1 run over the next two and a half minutes to trim the Stevens lead to four. Needing a basket, Fuller found an open Victoria O'Connor on the baseline for two. After a Brittany Tallchief (Silver Creek, N.Y.) misfire from long distance, Fuller connected on a turnaround jumper in the paint to give Stevens an eight-point lead before a pair of Garcia and Fuller free-throws all but sealed the Ducks' win, as Stevens took a 49-37 advantage with just 1:09 remaining.
Fuller, O'Connor, and Garcia all finished with 10 points. Fuller added seven rebounds, while O'Connor had 13 boards. Garcia finished with six rebounds in the win.
Wilson led Nazareth with a team-high 11 points, while Dunne tallied 10 points and three rebounds. Tallchief finished with team-best 10 boards.
Stevens, which held a decisive 52-38 rebounding edge, held Nazareth to just 20 percent (11-for-55) from the field and 4-for-20 from three-point range, while not allowing a point over the final 4:34.
The Ducks will travel to Utica, N.Y. to face league rival Utica College on January 5 before returning home on January 10 for a match-up against Hartwick College.
