HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 14, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team heads into the 2013-14 season this weekend, November 15 and 16, at the Morgan Stanley Tip-Off Tournament hosted by DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa. This weekend's tip-off will be a challenging test for the Ducks and will be a great measuring stick to see where the team is early in the season.
The Ducks start their 25-game slate against Eastern University on Friday at 8 p.m. and then square off with host DeSales at 4 p.m. on the 16th. After this weekend, Stevens travels to Penn State Wilkes-Barre on the 20th before hosting SUNY New Paltz on the 23rd for the team's home opener. Three more non-conference contests
are on the docket (Centenary College – 11/26, William Paterson University – 11/30 and Kean University – 12-2) before Empire 8 Conference play begins against Utica College in early January.
Stevens finished the 2012-13 campaign with a 14-13 overall record but were one of the top defenses in the Empire 8, and country, which is what head coach
Megan Haughey will stress again this winter.
"Defense first. We need to be tough on the boards and battle for loose balls. We want our defense to generate points for us on the offensive end of the court. From there, we will let our offense take care of itself," said Haughey.
The Ducks ranked first in the Empire 8 last season in defensive field goal percentage (32.4%), defensive three-point field goal percentage (24.7%) and blocked shots per game (5.4). The team's 5.4 blocked shots per game was 14th-best in the nation, while defensive FG% was 31st and three-point FG% was 34th. Along with the stellar numbers, Stevens will focus on eliminating its opponents' key players all season and force its counterparts to find different outlets to score on the offensive end.
Stevens also pulled down 109 more defensive rebounds than its opposition (807 to 698) and allowed just 57.5 points per game. The Ducks return all but one player from the stingy defensive unit this season and welcome 11 newcomers to the squad. Four of Stevens' starting five recorded 26 or more starts in the 27-game grind last year, while three of its top substitutes saw action in over 20 contests.
This season, the Ducks have a great mix of long, athletic defenders at the forward/post positions as well as feisty guards that with apply continuous pressure on the ball handler. With the addition of 11 new players, coach Haughey and staff have added great depth at each position which will allow the starting rotation extended rest throughout the season.
Senior tri-captains,
Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.),
Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) and
Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), are back and will be influential pieces to the success of the Ducks in 2013-14. All three have embraced their leadership roles and have helped in bringing the freshmen along.
Benjamin, a 5-foot, 10-inch forward and second-team all-conference performer last year, led Stevens with 12.5 points per game and pulled down 6.7 rebounds per contest. She returns in phenomenal shape and will be a key low-post presence for the Ducks all season. Benjamin chipped in 36 steals and rejected 14 shots as a junior. She poured in 29 points with 10 rebounds against New Paltz last season for one of her four double-doubles.
Spadaro intercepted 39 passes last season and averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 boards. She returns as one of the Ducks' top three-point threats this year after shooting 32.8-percent. Spadaro put together a string of four double-digit point contests last season which were highlighted by a career-high 24 points against St. John Fisher College on January 12 and 22 more against Nazareth College just six days later.
Tessitore walked-on to the squad late last season and played in 17 games off the bench. She recorded 26 steals, 24 assists and averaged 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. Her breakout performance last year came against Hartwick College on January 29 where she recorded 14 points and eight rebounds.
Two sophomore honorable mention all-conference honorees return after solid rookie seasons for the Ducks.
Hybrid guard/forward
Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) started and played in all 27 contests as a freshman and averaged 12 points and seven rebounds. At 6-1, Krause is a great athletic asset for Stevens and can play all five positions on the floor. She paced the Ducks in three-pointers made (45), three-point percentage (36.0%) and free throw percentage (83.9%). Krause also ranked second in steals with 40 and blocked shot with 34. Krause eclipsed double-digit points in 19 games last year and pulled down 16 rebounds twice.
Point guard
Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) is a long and quick guard at 5-9. Ripken tallied 46 steals and dished out 68
assists to lead the Ducks in both categories in her freshman season. She also averaged 11 points and five rebounds in 27 games and went to the line 115 times which was second-most on the team. Ripken played a team-high 910 minutes in 2012-13 and dropped a career-high 22 points on St. John Fisher on January 12.
Key returning reserves this season for the Ducks are senior
Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) and sophomores
Megan Petuskey (Mays Landing, N.J.),
Cassie Nicholas (Sicklerville, N.J.) and
Kaitlyn Astel (Staten Island, N.Y). Thompson saw action in 25 contests and average 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds last winter. Petuskey returns with an added dimension to her game in the post after seeing the floor in 22 contests as a freshman where she notched 47 points. Nicholas is a guard/forward that played in 20 games last season and snatched 49 rebounds with 28 points scored. Astel suffered an injury last season but is eager to see the hardwood against in 2013-14.
Haughey brought in 10 freshmen for this season, all of which are strong offensively. "We still have some teaching to do with our freshmen but they have shown significant strides already since the preseason," stated Haughey.
Hannah Brophy (Bridgewater, N.J.),
Daphne Ginn (Lawrenceville, N.J.),
Erica Guketlov (Spotswood, N.J.) and
Ruth Waters (Ripon, Calif.) should all make immediate impacts for the Ducks in their first season on Castle Point. While Ginn, Guketlov and Waters will fill in at the guard positions, Brophy will allow rest for the forwards throughout the season.
Stevens' philosophy all season is to "take it one game at a time" with this young group. Once Empire 8 play begins, the Ducks will face some stiff competition in No. 13 Ithaca College and Hartwick College – who possesses a preseason All-American on its roster. Ithaca claimed the Empire 8 crown last season after a 27-3 mark, while Hartwick went 22-8 and finished as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the conference.
The Empire 8 changed up its conference schedule this season and all women's contests will be played after the men at 4, 5 or 8 p.m. all season.
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