HOBOKEN, N.J. – Leyla Castro scored 14 of her season-high 25 points in the first half in a 57-49 win for the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team over DeSales on Wednesday night in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action at Canavan Arena.

Lucy Alberici joined Castro in double figures with 12, Olivia Schubiger finished with nine, and Audrey Kehoe recorded a game-high 11 rebounds for Stevens (14-8, 8-3 MACF).

HOW IT HAPPENED
DeSales opened the scoring with a three just past three minutes gone in the opening quarter, but a pair of Castro layups put the Ducks up 4-3. Castro later answered a Bulldogs' layup with a three-point play and Isabella Duval tacked on a three, putting Stevens up 10-5. Schubiger answered another DeSales layup with a last-minute jumper, keeping the Ducks in front by five, 12-7, at the end of the first quarter.

Stevens opened a 16-10 lead four minutes into the second quarter (all seven points coming at the free throw line) before an Alberici three-pointer put the Red and Gray up by nine. DeSales twice trimmed the margin to seven, but two more Alberici buckets sandwiched around an offensive rebound and layup from Fiona O'Boyle put Stevens up 27-14 with 2:17 left in the half. Castro added a late three, sending the Ducks to the locker room up 30-18.

Castro and Alberici extended the lead to 14, 35-21, with a layup and three-pointer, respectively, early in the third, but DeSales reeled off an 8-0 run in less than 90 seconds, pulling within six at the 5:30 mark of the period. Schubiger steadied things for Stevens with a turnaround and a pair of free throws and O'Boyle & Dorothy Loffredo added baskets late, leaving the Ducks up 13, 43-30 with 10 minutes left.

The Bulldogs pulled within six on two occasions in the fourth, but Castro capped her big night with a perfect three-for-three clip beyond the arc for nine of Stevens' 14 points in the period, keeping Stevens just a game back of first in the conference standings.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• With the win, Stevens has swept the season series from DeSales after entering the year 1-10 in the head-to-head since joining the MAC Freedom prior to the 2019-20 season.
• Kehoe added four blocks for Stevens, her second-highest single-game total this season.
• The Ducks matched a season-high with seven three-pointers and shot 41.2 percent, just the second time this season surpassing 40 percent in a game.

UP NEXT
The Ducks head to King's Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 pm tip, seeking a 10^th straight win against the Monarchs.

#AllRise