HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 16, 2016) – Senior Kaitlyn Astel of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team to record her 1,000th career point this season as the Ducks stormed past Hartwick College 69-41 Tuesday.

Astel joined classmate Miranda Ripken as the 11th and 12th members of the 1,000 point club in program history, as Ripken hit the mark just one week ago against Ithaca College. The Ducks moved to 18-5 overall, and 14-0 in the Empire 8 Conference. Hartwick dropped to 9-13, 7-7 in the E8.

The Ducks opened with seven of the first nine points and didn't look back. After the Hawks got within three at 9-6, Stevens closed with a 6-2 spurt to end the quarter up seven. The Ducks defense was dominant in the second quarter, limiting Hartwick to five points. The Hawks were limited to just three points over the final 6:18.

Stevens held Hartwick to just five first half field goals, while shooting 44.1% from the field themselves. Astel, who entered 21 points from 1,000, led all scorers with 11 first half points. Ripken, senior Dylan Krause and sophomore Megan Brown each scored six points in the opening 20 minutes. Sophomore Sydney Darby connected on a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Ducks their biggest lead of the night at 39.

Astel wasted no time reaching the mark in the fourth quarter, connecting on a jumper just seven seconds in. The Ducks bench saw a lot of time in final period, as 11 different players recorded points in the game. Stevens kept on firing in the second half, shooting 51.7% from the field. 

The Ducks dominated on the boards, outrebounding Hartwick 40-27. Astel led all scorers with 22, while Brown chipped in 12 points. Sophomore Brooke Stoddard was a force on the defensive end in the paint, swatting three shots and grabbing four boards. 

Taylor Vonasek led Hartwick with 13 points, while Sarah Shaw chipped in 11 off the bench.

The Ducks will be back in action Friday, taking on Nazareth College at 8 p.m.

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