Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. (March 1, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team dropped a 63-51 decision to Ithaca College in the Empire 8 Conference Final on Saturday in Ithaca's Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, Stevens ends its season 18-9 overall, while Ithaca improves to 23-4 and clinches an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

The Ducks shot 36.2-percent (21-for-58) from the floor and the Bombers went 21-for-51 for a 41.2% clip. Ithaca also benefitted from the free throw line, shooting 78.3% (18-for-23), while Stevens was just 6-for-7 (85.7%).

Stevens led by as many as eight points in the first half and started the game on a 6-0 run on four points from senior Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) and a bucket from sophomore Kaitlyn Astel (Staten Island, N.Y.). The Ducks pushed their edge out to 13-5 with 14:37 remaining in the half, but Ithaca would go on a 7-0 run to pull back to within a point over the next 1:25. After another basket from Benjamin made the score 15-12 with 12:46 on the clock, neither team could score over the next 3:13 until Kathryn Campbell hit a pair from the line for Ithaca. The Bombers then went ahead, 16-15, for their first lead of the game at the 8:47 mark, but freshman Brittany Washington (Iselin, N.J.) put Stevens back up by one with two free throws. Benjamin added two more to her team-high 16 points with 7:45 to go in the half to give the Ducks a three-point cushion at 19-16. Ithaca would go on another run, this time 8-0, to take a 24-19 advantage with just under five minutes remaining. Stevens tied the ballgame back up at 24-24 on a layup from sophomore Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) at the 1:37 mark, but Ithaca closed out the half with six unanswered points for a 30-24 difference at the break.

In the second half, Stevens crept back to within four, 30-26, in the first two minutes, only to witness the Bombers push their lead to 36-27 with 16:28 to go. The Ducks fought to within three points over the next six minutes, 42-39, but Ithaca would outscore Stevens, 10-2, in the following three minutes to take an 11-point, 52-41. The Ducks could only chip away to a six-point deficit, 57-51, with 1:29 left, where Ithaca tallied the final six points in the contest.

Ripken was named to the all-tournament team with 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Benjamin grabbed six boards and went 6-for-12 overall, while Astel added eight points and four rebounds. Freshman Erica Guketlov (Spotswood, N.J.) finished with six points and two assists, and Washington chipped in four points and four boards.

Ithaca's Mary Kate Tierney was named MVP of the championship with a double-double on 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Geena Brady led all scorers with 15 points and Jenn Escobido tallied 11 points for the Bombers.

The 18 victories for Stevens is the most for the Ducks program since 2010-11 where the team posted 21 wins.

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