ITHACA, N.Y. (February 27, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team had its Empire 8 Conference Championship bid thwarted Friday in a 75-61 semifinal loss to St. Josh Fisher College in Ithaca.
 
The loss ends Stevens' regular season as 22-4 as they'll see if they made the NCAA Tournament during Monday's selection show.
 
Junior Miranda Ripken led the Ducks with a season-high 16 points and eight rebounds while junior Kaitlyn Astel added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Freshmen Megan Brown chipped-in with seven points and six rebounds.
 
After a Fisher jumper cut the Stevens deficit to one six minutes into the game, the Ducks rattled-off a 7-0 run keyed by five unanswered points from Brown. Fisher answered by cutting the Stevens lead to five with seven minutes to go, but a pair of free throws from Ripken brought the Ducks lead to seven with six minutes to go.
 
The Cardinals fought back to tie the game at 29 with just under three minutes remaining, but the Ducks refused to give up the lead thanks to a jumper from Astel. Fisher tied the game once again with less than two minutes to go before two made foul shots from sophomore Erica Guketlov with eight seconds remaining sent the Ducks into the break up two.
 
Guktelov maintained the Ducks two point lead through the first minute of the second half with a jumper, but Fisher responded with a 17-0 run to put them up 15 with 14 minutes remaining. Sophomore Daphne Ginn stopped the momentum with a three, but Fisher responded with nine straight points to put them up 21 midway through the half.
 
Junior Dylan Krause batted back with three straight free throws before a jumper from Astel and a three from Ripken cut the deficit to 13 with four minutes remaining. The comeback bid came too late though as Fisher scored five of the last nine points to clinch the win.
 
Monday's selection show will stream on the NCAA website starting at 2:30 p.m.
 
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