ALFRED, N.Y. (February 6, 2016) – Seniors Miranda Ripken and Kaitlyn Astel combined for 33 points to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team past Alfred University 79-46 Saturday.

The Ducks moved to 15-5 and 11-0 in the Empire 8 Conference, while the Saxons dropped to 2-19, 1-11 in the E8.

After the Saxons scored four of the six points, Stevens scored the next eight capped off with an Astel jumper. McKaylee Croll connected on a three pointer for Alfred, who went into the second quarter trailing by only three.

Ripken connected on a trey and Astel rolled in a layup to put the Ducks up double-digits. Sophomore Brooke Stoddard padded the Stevens advantage to 14 with a layup with 2:41 left. The Ducks shot 41.2% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, limiting the Saxons to 28.0%.

Much like the first frame, Alfred scored four of the opening six points, this time trimming the lead to single digits. After a layup by Chanice Battle put the Saxons down only seven with 5:56 left in the third stanza, the Ducks closed out on a 16-7 run, finished with a jumper down low from sophomore Megan Brown.

The Ducks scorched the Saxons in the fourth and final quarter, going on a 17-0 run to open the frame. The Saxons didn't connect on their first field goal of the quarter until there was only 2:31 left. Stevens shot 51.4% in second half, while the Saxons were tamed to 27.6% but did go 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Ripken led the way with 17 while Astel was right behind with 16 and three steals. Sophomore Anna Toke pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while senior Megan Petuskey chipped in seven points off the bench.

Croll led the Saxons with 18 points, while Battle had six points and six boards.

The Ducks will take on Ithaca College on Tuesday, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.

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