ELMIRA, N.Y. (February 16, 2018)  – Senior Megan Brown collected her 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, freshman Christina Li came off the bench to net a team-high 15 points as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team secured its place in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament with a 46-38 victory over Elmira Friday evening at Speidel Gymnasium. 

Senior Sydney Darby added four points, six boards and two assists for the Ducks, who won their fourth straight game to improve to 12-12 on the year and 9-6 in E8 play. The victory secured both a playoff berth and the number three seed in the conference championship. The Ducks will take on second-seeded The Sage Colleges on Feb. 23 at 6:00 p.m. in the conference semifinal. 

Danielle Cleary recorded a game-high 16 points for Elmira, who fell to 13-11 on the year and 5-10 in the conference. Elmira has dropped 12 straight games to Stevens.

Turning Point

• Elmira opened the game on a 6-2 run.
• Li scored five straight points to hand Stevens a lead. The Anaheim, California native hit a long three and then converted a layup to put the visitors in front.
• Sophomore Alison Criswell pushed the lead to five with a pair of free throws.
• Stevens would never relinquish the lead, keeping at least a two-point advantage in the defensive struggle.

Inside the Numbers

• After a slow start, Stevens finished the game shooting 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the field. The team's shooting percentage was boosted by a 12-of-26 performance in the second half.
• Conversely, Stevens held Elmira to 13-of-47 (27.7 percent) for the game.
• Stevens had the edge in points off turnovers, bench points and points in the paint. Elmira had a slight edge in second-chance points.
• Neither team registered a fast break point.
• Seven players scored a basket for Stevens.
• The Ducks forced 20 Elmira turnovers.
• Freshman Annetta Panayides blocked a game-high two shots.
• Brown and Criswell each totaled four steals. 
• Brown continues to lead the league in rebounding and is second in shooting percentage. The Laurel, Maryland native needs to pull down 14 rebounds in the season finale to finish the regular season averaging a double-double.

From the Court

• "We grinded it out tonight, and although ugly, it's a win and a playoff berth."
• "I thought [Sydney Darby] had a great game tonight. She rebounded and gave us lots of defensive stops, which we needed."

Up Next

• The Ducks will play their final their final regular season game at Utica Saturday afternoon.
• The Pioneers earned a 48-39 victory in Hoboken on Jan. 9.
• Live stats and video links on StevensDucks.com

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise