Box Score
HOUGHTON, N.Y. (January 4, 2013) – Three players reached double figures as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team opened the New Year with a 64-56 victory in the program's first-ever matchup with Houghton College on Friday night. Stevens shot 47 percent in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win.

Freshman Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) scored the first six points of the game on a pair of threes, and would go on to lead Stevens with 17 points on the night. But despite the hot start, the Ducks would find themselves trailing 30-25 at the break. Houghton had a 12-2 advantage in 'points in the paint' and shot a full 10 percentage points better from the field in the first 20 minutes.
 
The Ducks started out hot again in the second, but this time they were able to maintain their flow. Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) and Krause combined to score the first five points of the second half and cut the Highlander lead down to two. Ripken would go on to finish with 11 points.

With 12:20 left in the game, freshman Megan Petuskey (Mays Landing, N.J.) went to the line and hit a pair of free throws, the first of which tied the game and the second gave the Ducks their first lead of the half. The Mays Landing native knocked down a big three-pointer a minute later to knot the game up again at 45.

Ripken hit a jumper at 10:51 for the next score, and the Ducks were able to hang on to that lead for the rest of the game. The team ran their advantage all the way to 11 on a layup from junior Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.), who finished with 10 points and scored the last four points of the game for Stevens.

Stevens senior Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.) finished the night with an astounding seven blocks…she also scored six points and grabbed eight boards…Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) scored eight on 3-for-4 shooting and was 2-of-2 from behind the arc...the Ducks scored 14 points off of turnovers, while holding Houghton to only three in the same category...Stevens forced 28 turnovers while committing 18…Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), Lindsay Crossan (Hunterdon, N.J.) and Kaitlyn Astel (Staten Island, N.Y.) all made their season debuts in this first game of the spring semester.

The Ducks will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Nazareth College for a 6 p.m. tilt with the Golden Flyers.  

Remember to like us on facebook.com/StevensAthletics and follow us on Twitter @StevensDucks.