Hoboken, N.J. – Seniors Leyla Castro and Isabella Duval combined for 31 points and eight three-pointers as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team upended FDU-Florham 73-65 on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, the Ducks (19-6, 10-4 MAC Freedom) earned the No. 3 seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament and will face second-seeded Arcadia University on Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Duval got the Ducks started by hitting threes on two of the first three trips down the floor. The triples sparked an 11-4 run by the home side, as Olivia Schubiger added a jumper and Castro drained a three. FDU responded by holding Stevens without a field goal for over three minutes, using a 10-1 spurt to take a 14-12 lead. Duval knocked down her third triple of the quarter to halt the rally, but the Devils closed the frame with five of the final seven points to grab a 19-17 edge after one.

Stevens erupted to begin the second stanza, ripping off the first 11 points and holding FDU scoreless for the opening 4:24. The Devils again clawed back, using a 9-2 run to make it a one-possession contest. FDU briefly took a 36-35 lead on a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining, but Castro buried a buzzer-beating jumper with one second left to send the Ducks into the break ahead.

The teams traded baskets early in the third quarter before an 8-0 FDU run gave the Devils their largest lead of the afternoon, 48-43, with 2:31 remaining. Castro answered with a three-pointer, igniting a Stevens response that included back-to-back layups by Fiona O'Boyle and a traditional three-point play from Dorothy Loffredo to push the Ducks in front 53-48.

FDU continued to battle, pulling within one on multiple occasions early in the fourth. A jumper with 6:54 left cut the margin to 62-60, but Stevens seized control with 10 unanswered points to stretch the advantage to double figures. Schubiger scored six during the decisive run, while Loffredo sealed the win at the free-throw line in the closing minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Castro finished with 17 points for the second straight game, adding seven assists while going 4-for-8 from three-point range.
• Duval matched Castro with four three-pointers and totaled 14 points.
• Audrey Kehoe pulled down a team-high 15 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, and chipped in seven points while shooting 3-for-3 at the line.
• O'Boyle provided eight points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Before the game, the Ducks honored Duval, Loffredo, Schubiger, Castro, and Kehoe in a pregame Senior Day ceremony.

UP NEXT
Stevens travels to Glenside, Pa. to face Arcadia on Wednesday, with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The teams are no strangers, as the Ducks defeated Arcadia in last season's MAC Freedom Semifinals as the No. 3 seed.