Hoboken, N.J.  – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team turned an eight-point deficit with under three minutes left into a one-possession game in the final minute but could not quite complete the comeback in a 68-67 loss to Kean University Tuesday night from Canavan Arena.

Stevens dropped to 0-2 on the season, with Kean taking the win in its season opener.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Four Kean turnovers led to an 8-3 Stevens start, forcing an early timeout from the Cougars. The visitors came out of the timeout with six straight for a 9-8 lead before Castro ended the burst with a three from well beyond the arc.

After the two sides went more than two minutes without scoring, the final 3:01 produced 18 of the quarter's 38 total points, with a Zoe Kashner three-point play, a pair of turnaround jumpers from Kay Decker, and a last-second jumper by Castro giving Stevens a 20-18 edge.

The torrent of turnaround jumpers continued into the second quarter, with Decker and Dorothy Loffredo each knocking one down for the Ducks' first four points of the period. Defensively, the Ducks held Kean without a point for 3:33 before a three-point play cut a 27-22 Stevens lead down to two, with Kean eventually taking a 29-28 lead.

Stevens tied the score on a pair of occasions in the final two minutes, but the Cougars carried a 35-33 lead to the locker room. Decker, who had just two field goals and seven points in the season opener Saturday, knocked down four shots and had 10 points in the first half.

After a pair of Kean jumpers were answered by a pair of Castro three pointers that knotted things at 39, Kean reeled off a 14-7 run to close the frame, with the Ducks knocking down just three of their final nine shots. The two sides traded free throws, then layups through the first five minutes of the final quarter, the Cougars eventually taking a 61-53 lead as the clock ticked under four minutes remaining.

With Kean leading 65-57 at the 2:26 mark, a Castro three and two free throws each from Olivia Schubiger and Decker cut the deficit to a single point, as close as the Ducks had been since it was 39-all 2:30 into the second half. After a Kean layup, Stevens had two chances to tie, but came up empty on both, with Kean holding a four-point lead until Castro banked in a three at the buzzer for the final points of the night.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Stevens forced 23 Kean turnovers, tied for the fourth-most by a Ducks opponent since the start of last season.
• Castro surpassed 20 points for the third straight game dating back to last season and knocked down all five of Stevens' three-pointers.
• Decker finished with 14 points and seven boards, five coming on the offensive end.
• Stevens went to the line seven more times (23-16), but shot just 60.9 percent, with Kean finishing 12-for-16, a 75 percent mark.
• Brittany Graff finished with a team-high 19 points for Kean despite fouling out with 2:41 remaining.

FROM THE COURT (Head Coach Meg Haughey)
"We took strides forward in pulling together a full 40 minutes, but have to focus on executing on the little things."

UP NEXT
The Ducks' five-game homestand continues Saturday at 5:00 pm against Brooklyn College.