Annville, Pa. – For the second time in less than a week, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team shook off early offensive struggles and earned the 200^th win at Stevens for head coach Megan Haughey in a 72-60 victory over the Dutchmen Wednesday evening in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom opener for both teams.

After turning a two-point halftime deficit into a 16-point win Saturday against Ramapo, the Ducks overcame a seven-point halftime deficit Wednesday, outscoring the Dutchmen 46-27 in the second half, thanks in large part to a near-perfect 24-for-25 effort from the free throw line, while holding the Dutchmen to a 20.8 percent clip (7-for-34) from the floor over the final 20 minutes.

Lucy Alberici played all 40 minutes, finishing with a game and season-high 26 points. Olivia Schubiger and Katherine Bogutsky each hit double figures, finishing with a combined 23 points. Leyla Castro stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, five steals, and three assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens (7-5, 1-0 MACF) trailed 7-0 and 14-2 early, a pair of free throws from Schubiger providing the only points for Stevens over the first 5+ minutes. Bogutsky knocked down a three, ending an 0-for-8 start from the floor for the Red and Gray. Alberici added a jumper, cutting the deficit to seven then, after a pair of free throws from Lebanon Valley (7-5, 0-1 MACF), another Bogutsky three cut the gap to six. The teams traded a pair of baskets, and a late Lebanon Valley free throw left them up by seven, 19-12, at the end of the quarter.

With the score 27-16 midway through the second quarter, Alberici, Schubiger, and Isaballa Duval all scored over a four-possession stretch for the Ducks, pulling them back within seven.  Lebanon Valley pushed the margin back to nine before Schubiger added a pair of free throws in the final minute of the quarter, with the Dutchmen carrying a 33-26 lead to the locker room.

Castro opened the scoring in the second half with a three-pointer, the only points for either side in the first three minutes. The two sides traded baskets over the proceeding 2:30, with the Dutchmen holding a 38-35 lead at the 4:31 mark after an Alberici jumper. After an Audrey Kehoe layup and a pair of Lebanon Valley free throws, four straight free throws from Castro gave the Ducks their first lead of the game, 41-40, at the 1:42 mark. The lead did not last long, as the Dutchmen quickly jumped back in front, 44-41, but an Alberici three-point play leveled things at 44 heading to the fourth.

The Ducks opened the quarter on an 8-0 run, as a Schubiger pull-up, two free throws and a layup from Alberici, and a layup from Kehoe forced a Lebanon Valley timeout, with the Dutchmen suddenly trailing 52-44. The Dutchmen worked the deficit back to five, 54-49 at the 3:40 mark, but two Schubiger free throws and Bogutsky's third trey of the game gave Stevens its first double-digit lead of the night, 59-49, with three minutes to play.

Stevens maintained at least a six-point lead the rest of the way and closed out Haughey's milestone win hitting 11 of 12 from the line down the stretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Stevens finished a remarkable 30-for-33 attempts from the charity stripe, the team's first time at or above 90 percent in a game since December 11, 2021. The 30 makes also marked the highest single-game total since at least 2011.
• Bogutsky hit double figures for the third time this season, and the first time in a game she logged fewer than 20 minutes; the first-year is 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from three over her last three games.
• Schubiger also reached double figures for the third time this season, hitting on all six of her attempts from the foul line.
• Castro grabbed at least five rebounds for the fifth time this season and notched at least five steals for the third time.
• The Ducks picked up a season-best fourth straight win, their longest win streak since winning five in a row between January and February of 2023.

UP NEXT
The Ducks host Misericordia Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. from Canavan Arena.