HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 3, 2022)  – First-year Leyla Castro found a cutting Danielle Cornetta for a layup in the final 90 seconds that powered the Stevens Institute of Technology to a 67-60 victory over Misericordia University Saturday in a MAC Freedom contest at the Canavan Arena.

Graduate student Jess Broad posted her second double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds and classmate Amber Porrett pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds for the Ducks, who won their sixth straight to improve to 7-1 and a perfect 2-0 in conference play.

Alyssa Biondi had 21 points and Meaghan McCaffrey came off the bench with 11 points and nine rebounds for Misericordia, who suffered its first loss of the season in falling to 7-1 and to 1-1 in the MAC Freedom. The Ducks have won two of the last three meetings between the programs.

Tied at 60, Broad drew a foul and made both free throws to put Stevens in front for good. After a Misericordia timeout, Biondi threw up a wild three that Cornetta easily corralled just inside the three-point line. As the Ducks ran their offense, Castro found herself in space near the free throw. Drawing a defender, Castro threw a well-placed bounce through the lane to Cornetta, who was wide open on the left block for an easy layup. Cornetta finished with 15 points, while Castro dished out four assists.

Misericordia had three chances in the final minute to cut into the Ducks' lead, but Stevens forced a pair of missed threes and a turnover. The Ducks held the Cougars without a field goal over the final 3:25 to close out the victory. Castro went 1 for 2 from the line and Porrett sank a pair of free throws to provide the final margin of victory.

The Ducks built a double-digit lead at halftime on the strength of hot shooting and strong rebounding. Stevens connected on exactly half (16) of its 32 attempts from the floor over the first 20 minutes, while holding a 23-20 edge on the glass. Broad and Cornetta shouldered the offensive load in the first half, combining for 25 points on 11 of 18 shooting, with Porrett and Cornetta teaming for 11 rebounds.

The Ducks scored the first five points of the final quarter, with three coming at the line and junior Elissa Nsenkyire adding two on a fast-break layup, to retake a double-digit lead. Misericordia would slowly chip away at the Ducks' lead, finally drawing even on a Biondi three, which would ultimately be the Cougars' final basket of the game.

Inside the Numbers

• The Ducks held Misericordia to just 31.4% from the floor - Misericordia's lowest number of the season.
• Stevens held a 52-43 advantage on the glass, including a 14-12 mark on the offensive boards. The edge in offensive rebounds helped Stevens hold a 16-9 edge in second-chance points.
• Broad, who solidified her double-double on the final possession of the game, blocked three shots. 
• Each team had 32 points in the paint.
• The Ducks held a 9-7 advantage in fast-break points.
• First-year Dorothy Loffredo was a game-high +11.

From the Court - Head Coach Megan Haughey

• "I was proud of our fight as a team tonight. We were mentally tough through some stretches, where they came at us. Misericordia is a great team and I am very proud of our team's effort tonight."

Up Next

• Conference play continues for women's basketball on Dec. 7, when the Ducks head to Madison, New Jersey to take on FDU-Florham. 
• The Ducks have won the last eight matchups in the all-time series. 
• Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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