EWING, N.J. (November 15, 2023) - Sophomore Leyla Castro scored a career-high 19 points and added five assists, while first-year Kay Decker added six points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team lost to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) 82-68 Wednesday night.

The Ducks (3-1) lost their first game of the season, halting their three-game winning streak to start the season. The loss to TCNJ (2-1) ended the three-game winning streak the Ducks had in the series against the Lions. Stevens now leads the all-time series 6-5.

After the two teams split the first four points, the Lions went on a 12-1 run to take a big early lead over the Ducks. Senior Elissa Nsenkyire made a jumper at the 3:14 mark to stop the run, but TCNJ followed that up with seven-straight points. In the final minute, Decker made a jumper and Castro hit a three at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 13, as TCNJ led 25-12 at the end of one. In the second quarter, Castro made two jumpers inside the first minute and a half as she scored seven straight for the Ducks. Down 39-22 midway through the second, Castro made a three and senior Anika Damera made a layup to get within 12. Stevens closed the half with jumpers made by junior Lucy Alberici and Nsenkyire, but they trailed the Lions 44-35 at the break.

The Lions scored the first five points to start the third quarter, but the Ducks responded nicely with a 8-0 run to get within six. Nsenkyire scored six points on the run. TCNJ followed that with a 10-1 run. First-year Paige Gorczyca tallied five points down the stretch of the third quarter as TCNJ held a 67-54 lead after three. Stevens opened the fourth determined to get back in the game, scoring the first seven points of the frame to get back to within six. The Lions hit a pivotal three at the 2:39 mark, extending their lead to 12 after it had been within single digits much of the quarter. Stevens would trail by at least 10 points the rest of the way, as TCNJ won 82-68.

Top Performers

• Castro scored a career-high 19 points and added five assists.
• Nsenkyire scored 16 points and grabbed three rebounds.
• Decker scored six points and had a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Alberici tallied 10 points and totaled seven rebounds.
• Stevens shot 36.5 percent (27-74) from the field and 16.7 percent (3-18) from three. The Ducks also shot 68.8 percent (11-16) from the line.

The Opponent

• Julia Setaro had a game-high 24 points and added five rebounds.
• Natalie Kolb had 11 rebounds.
• Nina Branchizio scored 18 points and grabbed four rebounds.
• TCNJ shot 41.4 percent (29-70) from the field and 33.0 percent (12-36) from three. They also went 12-17 from the free throw line (70.6%)

Around the MAC Freedom

• FDU-Florham 94, CCNY 71 F/TUE
• Delaware Valley 79, Penn State Abington 59 F/TUE
• Misericordia 47, Elizabethtown 77 F/TUE
• DeSales 41, Muhlenberg 44 F/TUE
• Gwynedd Mercy 56, Arcadia 82
• King's 42, Montclair State 36

Up Next: Women's basketball will finally be in Hoboken this Saturday as they host Montclair State in their home opener. The game is set for 1 p.m. The Ducks are 4-10 all-time against Montclair State, but have won the last two meetings. Stevens won last year's meeting 80-61. Elissa Nsenkyire scored 20 points in the contest, while Leyla Castro added 12. Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com