SCRANTON, Pa. (March 6, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball was unable to make-up an early first half deficit Friday in a 70-59 loss to Baruch College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The loss ends Stevens' season at 22-5 while Baruch (25-4) will advance to tomorrow's second round.
 
Junior Kaitlyn Astel paced the Ducks with 13 points to go along with five rebounds while junior Miranda Ripken added 11 points, six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Erica Gukeltov scored nine points off three three-pointers, and freshman Anna Toke pulled-down 12 rebounds.
 
The Ducks took a one point lead off a long three from Guketlov two minutes in, but Baruch responded with a 21-0 run over the next seven minutes to build a 25-5 lead. Krause ended the run with a three midway through the half before freshman Sydney Darby made it five straight with a layup, cutting the deficit to 15.
 
Stevens continued to cut into the Baruch lead before a 10-0 run sparked by Ripken free throws brought the Ducks to within eight with under three minutes remaining. Sophomore Brittany Washington made it an 11-2 run with a free throw, but a Baruch layup in the closing seconds put the Ducks in an 11 point hole heading into the break.
 
The Ducks made it an eight point game with three quick points from junior Dylan Krause to start the second half, but a 5-0 run from Baruch put the Bearcats back up by 13. Stevens pulled back to within eight after a 5-0 run six minutes in, however Baruch regained the double-digit lead two minutes later before a jumper midway through the half ballooned the deficit to 17.
 
A pair of threes from Guketlov brought Stevens to within 12 with eight minutes to go before a 6-0 run capped by Toke's layup brought them to within eight. Three points from Astel followed by a Ripken layup cut the deficit to five with under two minutes to go, but Baruch closed the game on a 6-0 run to clinch the win.
 
The loss ends an extremely successful season for the Ducks that saw them surpass the 20-win mark for the first time since 2011, and record the most wins since 2009.
 
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