DALLAS, Pa. (February 8, 2020) – Sophomore Jess Broad set a new career-high with 15 rebounds to go along with 21 points for her second straight double-double, but it was not enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team could not hold on to a seven-point halftime lead as they fell 71-64 Saturday at Anderson Sports Center.

The Ducks led 38-31 at the break but the Cougars opened the second half on a 14-3 run to take a five-point lead and went on to outscore Stevens 40-26 in the final two periods to remain undefeated at home this season and tied for first place in the MAC Freedom.

Sophomore Allie Moss joined Broad in double figures with 15 points to go along with a team-high six assists while also pulling down four boards. In her last two contests, Moss has produced 11 assists and zero turnovers and leads the MAC Freedom with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference-only games.

Misericordia was led offensively by Alyssa Bondi who finished with 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. The Cougars also got a 13-point, 14-rebound performance from Tessa Zamolyi in the win.

Coming off the bench, sophomore Amber Porrett was also big for the Ducks with seven points and four boards while going 5 for 7 from the free throw line.

Tied at six early in the contest, Stevens was able to push the lead to double figures with a 12-1 run highlighted by a 3-point bucket by Lily Taebuer and four points from Broad.

Stevens was able to swell the lead to as many as 14 points on a pair of occasions, each occurring after baskets by Broad.

Trailing 38-24 with 2:22 remaining in the first half, the Cougars got back-to-back 3-pointers from Tessa Zamolyi and Bondi as a part of a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just seven heading into the locker room.

Misericordia started the second half much like they ended the first, scoring 14 of the first 17 points of the third period to take the led for the first time since leading 4-3 in the second minute of the contest. In total, the Cougars bridged the second and third quarters with a 21-3 run in just over eight minutes of game action.

The Ducks did not go away, however, as they traded punches with Misericordia for the remainder of the quarter to head to the fourth trailing by only four.

With the score 60-57 in favor of the Cougars with 3:58 to play, Stevens cut the deficit to one after a pair of free throws by Taeuber.

After forcing a turnover, the Ducks came down on the offensive end and were able to take the lead after Porrett pulled down an offensive board and was able to go up and finish a layup while getting fouled to give Stevens a 61-60 edge. The freshman then completed the three-point play with a free throw and put the Ducks ahead by two with 2:44 to play.

Zamolyi and Bondi responded immediately for the Cougars as they combined to score nine of Misericordia's final 11 points. As a team, the Cougars scored 11 of the final 13 points of the contest, including going 7 for 8 from the charity stripe in the final minute of game action to grab the victory.

Turning Point

• Leading by two with :33 to play, Bondi stepped up to the line and calmly sank a pair of free throws to give the Cougars a 66-62 lead.
• On the next offensive possession for the Ducks, Broad pulled down an offensive board, her fourth of the game, but was unable to capitalize as Misericordia grabbed the rebound on the missed jumper attempt and sealed the win with excellent free throw shooting down the stretch.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens went 7 for 16 from downtown in the first half, but 0 for 7 from beyond the arc in the second as they shot 30.7 percent from deep in the loss.
• The Ducks ended up winning the turnover battle as they committed just 11 and forced 12 while also holding a 15-9 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Cougars did a ton of damage when they forced the issue, holding a decisive 16-4 advantage in fast break points.
• The lead changed hands eight times in the contest including twice in the final three minutes.
• Stevens was efficient offensively, assisting on 14 of its 23 made baskets.
• Misericordia was just 18 of 27 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line in the game but made them when it mattered the most, going 10 for 11 from the charity stripe in the final period.
• The Ducks bench was fantastic in the loss, combining for 20 total points including seven each from Porrett and freshman Danielle Cornetta.
• Junior Emily Nunez finished third on the team in points with eight and knocked down a pair of 3-point shots.
• The Cougars held a narrow 50-47 edge in rebounding with 29 of those boards coming in the second half.
• With her six assists today, Moss now sits just 15 assists away from becoming just the 11th player in program history of register 100 assists in a single season.

Unsung Hero

• Taeuber had a solid contest for the Ducks with five points to go along with five boards in the loss.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Megan Haughey)

• "I thought in the first half we battled, played gritty and shared the ball on offense. In the second half we came out a little flat and didn't knock down shots or free throws when we needed to."

Next Up

• The Ducks will now travel to Center Valley, Pennsylvania to face off against DeSales at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
• The Bulldogs knocked off Stevens 74-68 earlier this season on Jan. 22 in Hoboken, New Jersey and currently sit tied for the top seed in the MAC Freedom.
• Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.

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