HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 31, 2017)  – A second-half shutdown defensive effort in the second half led the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team to a 71-55 victory over Hartwick College Tuesday in an Empire 8 Conference matchup.

Juniors Megan Brown recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds and graduate student Kaitlyn Astel led all players with 18 points as the Ducks improved to 10-8 overall and 9-1 in E8 play. With the victory, Stevens moved into sole possession of first place in the conference. 

Carly Johnson led Hartwick with 16 points and Jacqui Foreman added 10 points and eight rebounds. The Hawks fell 12-7 overall and 8-2 in league play and dropped into a second-place tie with Ithaca College, who defeated Nazareth College, 60-58, earlier this evening.

Turning Point

• With the teams deadlocked at 39, Stevens went on a 10-2 run to close the third quarter.
• A Toke jumper opened the scoring run.
• Astel scored five straight points to give Stevens a seven-point advantage.
• The Ducks clamped down on Hartwick, forcing two turnovers and a pair of missed shots to open a five-point lead.
• Junior Megan Anderson extended the lead to eight with a three-point shot that beat the third-quarter buzzer.

Inside the Numbers

• Over the game's final twenty minutes, Hartwick shot 8-for-23, although the Hawks went 3-for-3 in the final minute with the game out of hand.
• Where the Stevens defense excelled was on three-point field goals. Hartwick shot 4-of-10 in the first half and 1-for-6 over the final two periods.
• In the second half, Stevens forced seven turnovers and went to the line 11 times, sinking eight.
• Conversely, while Hartwick went cold from the floor, Stevens scored 43 points on 16-of-27 shooting (59.3%) to break the game open.
• Stevens held the edge in points off turnovers, second-chance points, bench points and fast-break points.
• Brown's double-digit rebounding effort helped Stevens attain a  37-34 edge on the glass.
• Guketlov's five assists game with only one turnover.
• Continuing to show well on the free throw line, Stevens shot 72% (13-for-18), improving to 66% on the season.

Unsung Hero

• Anderson went 3-for-3 from the field, sinking all three of her three-point attempts, in scoring nine points off the bench.
• Freshman Alison Criswell sparked the Stevens defense in the second half, holding Hartwick's leading scorer, Emily Stone, to just nine points.

Up Next

• The Ducks head to upstate New York for the first pair of back-to-back weekend series away from Castle Point.
• Stevens will match up with Elmira College and Ithaca to open play in February.
• The trip begins Friday night's game at Elmira. Stevens defeated the Soaring Eagles, 68-53, on Jan. 7 and have won the last nine matchups in the series.
• Live stats and video links are available at StevensDucks.com.

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