Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 29, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team dropped a 52-46 overtime heartbreaker to Hartwick College Tuesday night in the Canavan Arena. With the loss, the Ducks drop to 9-10 overall and 4-5 in the conference.
 
Hartwick improves to 16-4 overall and 8-1 in the Empire 8 with the victory.
 
The Hawks came out strong, jumping out to a 13-6 lead, but the Ducks answered, responding with a 9-1 run over a span of 6:06 to take a 15-14 margin following a made jumper from senior forward Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.). Kowalska had five points in the spurt and junior forward Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) tallying four.
 
Hartwick was able to slow the momentum over the final moments of the first, and eventually took an 18-15 lead into the locker room when freshman forward Brittney Dumas (Easton, Conn.) converted a layup as time expired.
 
The Hawks extended their lead to six points a little more than four minutes into the second half, and maintained that margin over the next several minutes before the Ducks went on a 6-0 run to turn a 30-24 deficit into a tie ball game. Benjamin hit a free throw, junior guard Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) canned a three-pointer from the left corner and junior guard Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) buried a jumper and before you blinked the game was tied with 8:33 left.
 
The Ducks were able to take the upper hand at 36-35 with 4:28 on the clock when Tessitore hit one of two, and went up 38-35 when freshman Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) found a cutting Tessitore for two more.
 
Dumas went 3-for-4 at the line over the next several Hartwick possessions to tie the game at 36 apiece with 1:37 left, but Tessitore came up big again for the Ducks with a runner in the paint to put the Ducks up two with 1:19 to play.
 
Stevens was able to stop of the Hawks on their next possession and pushed its lead to four points with 35 seconds remaining, but a Dumas jumper pulled the Hawks back within two (42-40). Spadaro would hit 1-of-2 at the line with 14 seconds left to open a three-point edge but a triple from junior guard Maria Fogolia (Rensselaer, N.Y.) with 6.7 seconds remaining tied the game and forced overtime.
 
In the OT, Hartwick scored the first eight points of the extra period and held the Ducks scoreless for the first 4:37, eventually winning by at 52-46 final.
 
Dumas finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hawks, while Foglia had nine points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Hawks shot 15-for-55 (27.3 percent) from the field, 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from three and 19-for-32 (59.4 percent) from the line. Hartwick ended with a 48-40 edge on the glass and had 13 steals as a team.
 
The Ducks finished shooting 15-for-54 (27.8 percent) from the field, 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from three and 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the line. Tessitore had a great second half and finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists to lead the Ducks. Bejamin had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Kowalska had five points, six boards and five blocked shots. Ripken finished with six points, four assists and three rebounds as the Ducks tallied seven blocks and five steals as a team.
 
Stevens will return to action Friday night at 6 p.m. when it hosts Utica College in the team's Play 4 Kay Think Pink Event. It was also serve as National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Visit www.StevensDucks.com for more information and follow all the action live at www.Empire8.TV.
 
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