Hoboken, N.J. – Leyla Castro scored 14 of her game-high 16 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter during a 50-47 comeback win for the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team over Lebanon Valley Saturday afternoon at Canavan Arena in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Castro, Schubiger, and O'Boyle each hit jumpers in the early going, staking the Ducks to a trifecta of two-point leads. O'Boyle added a layup, then a jumper, and Alberici added a last-minute jumper for a 12-4 lead at the end of the quarter.

Stevens (12-7, 6-2 MACF) answered a 5-0 Dutchmen spurt to start the second quarter with four straight of its own on a jumper by Schubiger and layup by Alberici. An Alberici three-pointer and two late free throws kept the Ducks in front as Lebanon Valley worked the margin to three, then two following a three-point play in the final 15 seconds of the half, with the Ducks carrying a 21-19 lead to the locker room.

Lebanon Valley took its first lead of the game with a 6-2 run to open the third, then tacked on five more, drawing a timeout from the Ducks who suddenly found themselves down seven, 30-23.

After each side went scoreless for just over three minutes, Castro converted on a turnaround in the paint, but the Dutchmen tacked on the next seven, opening a 37-25 lead before Castro added a pair of free throws in the final second of the quarter.

Still down 10, 41-31, at the 7:49 mark of the quarter, Stevens dug in at both ends of the floor. Three free throws between Loffredo and Alberici, a Schubiger jumper, and a Loffredo layup sliced the deficit to three, 41-38, just past the midway point of the quarter.

Schubiger knocked down a turnaround to pull within a point and Alberici gave the Ducks their first lead since the opening minute of the third quarter with a layup, capping an 11-0 run over a near-five-minute span.

Lebanon Valley broke its scoring drought and jumped back in front, 43-42, at the 2:27 mark, but a pair of Castro three-pointers put Stevens up five with a minute left. The Dutchmen cut it back to two with a three and had a chance to tie at the foul line with 20 seconds left, but made 1-of-2, leaving the Ducks up 48-47.

After the Ducks missed a pair at the charity stripe, Lebanon Valley missed a go-ahead layup then, after two Castro free throws put Stevens up three, a last second game-tying effort sailed wide, sealing the comeback for the Red and Gray.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Alberici finished with 16 points, tying Castro as the game's high scorer.
• Stevens' +14 margin on the glass (49-35) matched its best single-game effort this year.
• Castro knocked down multiple three-pointers and finished in double figures for the fifth straight game.
• O'Boyle set a season high with six points and tied her season-high with eight rebounds.
• Loffredo tied her season high with a game-high 12 rebounds. 

UP NEXT
The Ducks make two trips to Pennsylvania next week, beginning Wednesday with a 7 pm tip against Arcadia, whom the Ducks have beaten five times in seven contests since the Knights joined the conference.