HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 21, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team went 8-8 from the free throw line in the final minute Saturday to clinch a 73-64 win over St. John Fisher College in the regular season finale.
 
The win locked-up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Conference Tournament for the Ducks (22-2, 14-2) where they'll once again face Fisher (19-6, 12-4). The 22 wins is the most for Stevens since they won 23 during the 2008-09 campaign. 
 
Junior Kaitlyn Astel scored a career-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Junior Dylan Krause added her first double-double of the season of 11 points and 12 rebounds while junior Miranda Ripken chipped-in with 15 points and six rebounds.
 
Sophomore Erica Guketlov had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, and freshmen Anna Toke added 13 rebounds. As a team, Stevens shot 39.7 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line.
 
With the game tied at 15 eight minutes into the half, Fisher rattled-off four straight points to build the slight lead before Stevens answered with three points from Ripken. The Cardinals responded with a three and a jumper, but a layup from Ripken cut the deficit to four with seven minutes to go.
 
Both teams went back and forth over the next four minutes until the Ducks evened the score with a three point play from Astel with three minutes to go. Freshmen Sydney Darby and Ripken kept the momentum going with jumpers, but Fisher scored four of the next six points to cut the lead to three.
 
Stevens' defense held the Cardinals scoreless from there, allowing Astel's layup with 16 minutes to go to put the team up five going into the break.
 
Fisher tied the game at the 15 minute mark after an 8-0 run, but the Ducks answered with a 6-0 run capped by a pair of free throws from Toke. Stevens maintained at least an eight point lead over the next six minutes until six straight from Fisher cut the deficit to three.
 
The Ducks responded to the Fisher threat with a three from Guketlov followed by a layup from Astel to put Stevens up seven with five minutes to go. The Cardinals answered with five straight, but the Ducks closed the game on a 10-4 run, including eight free throws, to clinch the win.
 
The Stevens and Fisher rematch is set for 8 p.m. Friday at Ithaca College.
                                        
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