HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 20, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team used a 10-0 first half run to build a lead it wouldn't relinquish Friday night in a 60-40 Empire 8 Conference win over Nazareth College.
 
The win moved Stevens to 21-3 (13-2) while Nazareth dropped to 14-10 (9-6).
 
Junior Kaitlyn Astel and Miranda Ripken paced the Ducks with 12 points each to go along with four rebounds. Freshmen Anna Toke recorded a career-high 14 rebounds and four steals while junior Dylan Krause added six points, three rebounds and three assists.
 
The Ducks held Nazareth to just 28.3 percent shooting from the field and forced 18 turnovers.
 
Sophomore Erica Guketlov hit a jumper with seven minutes remaining to tie the game at 19 before a pair of free throws from Krause thirty seconds later put Stevens up two. The Ducks continued the run with four more free throws before a jumper from Toke ballooned the lead to eight with just under four minutes to go.
 
Sophomore Brittany Washington hit two more free throws to extend the lead to10 before Nazareth finally ended the run with a free throw at the two minute mark. The Golden Flyers added two more off a jumper, but four points from Astel in the final 40 seconds gave the Ducks a 12 point lead going into the break.
 
Nazareth closed the gap to eight within the first two minutes of the second half before Stevens answered with a 16-0 run capped by a three from junior Megan Petuskey. The Golden Flyers bounced-back with a 10-2 run over the next six minutes, but jumpers on back-to-back possessions from freshman Sydney Darby and Ripken put Stevens back up 22 with three minutes to go.
 
The Ducks defense took control from there, allowing just two points over the final three minutes to clinch the win.
 
The Ducks will close out the regular season tomorrow afternoon when they host St. John Fisher College at 3 p.m. at Canavan Arena. 

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