GLENSIDE, Pa. (January 10, 2024) - First-year Kay Decker scored 14 points and added eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team lost to Arcadia 69-62 in MAC Freedom play Wednesday night.

The Ducks (6-8, 1-2 MAC Freedom) have now lost seven of their last eight games. The 1-2 start in conference play is the worst start for the Ducks since the 2005-06 season. The loss also became the first in the all-time series for the Ducks. With the victory, Arcadia improved to 13-1 and 2-1 in conference play. Stevens now sits in sixth place in the conference standings while Arcadia is in third place.

Arcadia got out to a quick 7-0 run but it was answered by seven Duck points. Sophomores Leyla Castro and Dorothy Loffredo each made two-pointers followed by a three from Decker to tie things up. Arcadia would go on another seven-point spurt after being up just four to take a 21-10 lead. First-year Paige Gorczyca would make a bucket that got the deficit to single-digits but the Knights made two free throws to end the quarter. With 6:14 to go in the second, the Knights saw themselves up 14 points over the Ducks. Stevens responded with six points as Decker made two and added a free throw while sophomore Isabella Duval made a triple. Arcadia led by as much as 19 in the quarter, but a three at the buzzer from Castro made the halftime score 41-25 in favor of the Knights.

Loffredo scored the first four points out of the half to extend the Duck run to seven. The third featured a lot of back and forth as the Knight lead never got below 12 in the quarter. Junior Lucy Alberici scored nine in the frame to keep the Ducks in the game, but Arcadia led 53-39 heading to the fourth. In the final frame, Stevens finally cut the Arcadia lead to single-digits after Alberici made a jumper with 8:07 to go as the Knights led 55-46. The Knight lead got as low as six after a basket by Decker with 3:11 to go, but the deficit would prove to be too much as Arcadia held on for the 69-62 victory.

Top Performers

• Decker also had two assists and four steals.
• Alberici scored 18 points and grabbed three boards.
• Castro scored 12 points and picked up a season-high six steals.
• Gorczyca scored four points and had seven rebounds.
• Loffredo also added eight points.
• Stevens shot 31.9 percent (22-69) from the field and 25.0 percent (4-16) from three. The Ducks also shot 60.9 percent (14-23) from the line.

The Opponent

• Katie Rodriguez had a triple-double with 15 points, 22 rebounds, and 10 assists.
• Hanna Rhoades had a game-high 20 points.
• Delaney Bell recorded 12 points and eight rebounds.
• Arcadia shot 46.8 percent (22-47) from the field and 36.8 percent (7-19) from three. They also went 18-25 from the free throw line (72.0%).

Around the MAC Freedom

• King's 48, Arcadia 73 F/MON
• Misericordia 51, Lebanon Valley 64
• FDU-Florham 65, Delaware Valley 88
• King's 38, DeSales 81

Up Next: Women's basketball continues conference play on the road Saturday as they visit King's. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Ducks are 6-1 all-time against the Monarchs, including winning the last six. In last year's road contest at King's, Leyla Castro scored 12 points and had three assists to help lead Stevens to a 81-43 victory. Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com