DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (January 24, 2024) - Sophomore Leyla Castro scored 16 points and had four steals, while first-year Paige Gorczyca scored 11 points and had 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team fell to Delaware Valley 72-61 in MAC Freedom play Wednesday night.

The Ducks (8-10, 3-4 MAC Freedom) have not won or lost consecutive games in 2024. Despite the loss, the Ducks are 5-4 on the road this season. The victory for Delaware Valley is their first win all-time over Stevens (1-5). The Aggies improve to 13-5 and 4-3 in MAC Freedom play. Stevens falls into fifth while Delaware Valley remains in fourth. The top four teams qualify for the MAC Freedom Tournament.

A scoreless first two minutes ended with a Castro bucket that gave Stevens the early lead, although the teams would end up trading the next few buckets. First-year Paige Gorczyca made a jumper with the Ducks down 11-7 to get them back within two a few minutes later. The Aggies would lead by as much as eight, but they only led by three heading into the second as Castro hit a three at the buzzer, something she has done multiple times this season. This momentum would continue into the second quarter as the Ducks went on an extended 10-0 run, with eight of the points coming from Castro. Sophomore Dorothy Loffredo contributed the other two. Senior Anika Damera scored a basket with just a little over halfway to go in the period that put the Ducks back up four. Stevens would stall out a bit from there, only scoring five points the rest of the way, as the game was tied at 28 at the half.

The Aggies scored four of the first five points of the third and never trailed again the rest of the game. They blitzed the Ducks, scoring 23 points in the quarter, as they led by ten at the end of the third. Castro scored five points in the quarter, with three of them coming at the line. First-year Kay Decker contributed a three while Gorczyca added another field goal as the Ducks trailed 51-41 going into the fourth. Neither team shot well to open the quarter as the deficit remained relatively the same. Sophomore Isabella Duval gave the Ducks hopes of a comeback with a triple at the 5:56 mark that was followed by a Decker jumper and a Damera free throw to get within five. Stevens kept it close the rest of the way, but could not inch any closer as the Aggies pulled away late for the victory.

Top Performers

• Castro also added three assists and two rebounds.
• Gorczyca's double-double was the first of her career.
• Damera scored eight points.
• Sophomore Olivia Schubiger and junior Lucy Alberici each had eight boards.
• Loffredo tallied seven points and grabbed four rebounds.
• Stevens shot 33.8 percent (22-65) from the field and 23.1 percent (3-13) from three. The Ducks also shot 60.9 percent (14-23) from the line.

The Opponent

• Aubrey Ennis scored 16 points and recorded four assists.
• Maisie Neuber scored 15 points.
• Haley Keenan recorded 12 points and had nine rebounds.
• Delaware Valley shot 37.5 percent (24-64) from the field and 21.7 percent (5-23) from three. They also went 19-24 from the free throw line (79.2%).

Around the MAC Freedom

• Misericordia 38, DeSales 70
• King's 41, Lebanon Valley 55
• FDU-Florham 48, Arcadia 86

Up Next: Women's basketball continues conference play on the road Saturday as they visit Lebanon Valley. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. The two teams met earlier this season in Hoboken, with the Dutchmen winning 64-60 after overtime. Lucy Alberici scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds in that game Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com