Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 21, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team secured a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship with a 60-59 victory over Elmira College on Friday night in Canavan Arena. Before the contest, four seniors were recognized for their careers at Stevens.

The Ducks (17-8, 9-5) locked up the No. 3 seed in next weekend's conference tournament with a nail-biting win at a venue and time to still be announced. Stevens opened up the contest on a 9-2 run over Elmira (16-8, 7-6) and remained in control until the Soaring Eagles took a 25-23 lead with 5:27 to go in the first half.

From there, the game was tied three times and the lead changed hands five times until Elmira went into the break with a slim, 31-30, edge. In the first half, freshmen Erica Guketlov (Spotswood, N.J.) and Daphne Ginn (Lawrenceville, N.J.) each scored eight points. Both went 3-for-4 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while Guketlov made each three-point attempt and Ginn drained her lone shot from long range. Guketlov finished the game with 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists, while Ginn tallied all her points in the first half.

In the second half, the scored remained within one point on each side until Elmira went up, 46-43, with 14:30 left in regulation. The Soaring Eagles then went up by eight, 51-43, on a three-ball from Jessica Zoltowski with 11:30 on the clock. Stevens continued to chip away at the deficit over the final 11 minutes and scored the game's final basket with 53 seconds left on a steal and layup from Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) to take its first lead since the 15:32 mark. Right after Elmira advanced the ball past mid-court, Benjamin swiped the ball away and drove down the middle of the floor for the game-winning hoop.

Elmira had three chances to regain the lead but missed each field goal attempt.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Astel (Staten Island, N.Y.) paced Stevens with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, while Benjamin added 11 points, six boards and a pair of steals.

Sophomore Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds (seven offensive) with four points. Classmate Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) added five boards, four assists and three points in the win. Senior Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) wrapped her home career with four points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Ducks snagged 43 rebounds and 19 on the offensive end as a team and shot 36.5-percent (23-for-63) from the field. Elmira shot 39.6% overall but committed 23 turnovers.

Stevens will travel to either Ithaca College or Hartwick College for the Empire 8 Tournament on February 28. Depending on the host school, the Ducks will play Ithaca or Hartwick in the 2/3 matchup.

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