Four Ducks Score In Double-Figures As Stevens Upends Elmira
HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 18, 2011) – Four Ducks finished in double-figures led by junior Jillian Barrett’s game-high 17 points as the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s basketball team rebounded from a set-back to Hartwick College with a 54-45 triumph over visiting Empire 8 rival Elmira College at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Now 18-6 overall on the year with an 11-4 league ledger, Stevens can clinch the No. 2 seed and a home semifinal game in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament with a win over league-leading Ithaca College tomorrow, Saturday, February 19. The Soaring Eagles fell to 5-19 and 2-13 in conference play with the loss.
Stevens jumped out to six-point edge early, going up 10-4 on a Dawn Garcia free-throw. The junior guard opened up scoring by kick-starting the run with a jumper at 18:52 before a pair of Paige Armstrong free-throws upped the Ducks’ margin to four. Consecutive Maria Thannhauser (Newfield, N.Y.) baskets momentarily pulled Elmira even before four-straight Garcia scores gave Stevens the six-point cushion.
Hoping to keep pace, Soaring Eagles’ senior guard Becky Peterman (Glen Gardner, N.J.) netted Elmira’s first triple of the evening, jump-starting a 10-0 rally that made it 14-10 in favor of the visitors, following a Tesia Kaczynski (Mansfield, Pa.) trey just under the nine minute mark.
The Ducks answered by mounting a 13-5 run over the remainder of the half to take a 23-19 advantage. After junior Victoria Webber connected from the line to end Stevens’ four-plus minute scoring drought, Armstrong connected from down low to bring Stevens to within one at 14-13.
Another Webber free-throw coupled with a Barrett layup helped Stevens regain the lead before a Webber trey extended Stevens’ margin to five. Barrett would then tally back-to-back layups, staking the Ducks to a seven-point edge at 23-16, but a Kaczynski three-pointer just before the buzzer trimmed the lead to four heading into the intermission.
Armstrong opened up the second half scoring, converting a pair from the charity stripe at 19:22, but Peterman quickly hit a three to pare the Soaring Eagles deficit to 25-22. Ahead by four after a Barrett layup, Thannhauser connected on another timely Elmira triple to make it 29-28 with 14:24 on the clock.
After Kaczynski knotted the game at 29 with a free-throw, Stevens rattled off 10 answered points over a nearly three-minute span to extend their lead to double-digits at 39-29. Garcia and Armstrong got things started with the duo connecting on four-straight from the line before consecutive Webber baskets coupled with a Barrett layup capped of Stevens’ run.
Looking to stay within striking distance, Elmira ripped off a 7-2 run of its own, cutting it to five on a Kaczynski three, but an Armstrong layup and two Barrett free-throws once again made it a nine-point game with just under five minutes left in regulation.
The Soaring Eagles would put together one final rally, battling back to within four at 47-43 on a Thannhauser jumper, but seven unanswered Stevens points, capped off by a pair of Barrett free-throws sealed the Ducks’ 18th victory of the season.
Barrett finished with a nine rebounds to go along with her team high 17 points, while Armstrong added 13 points and nine boards. Webber tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in the win, while Garcia put together a 12-point, seven rebound, five assist, two steal effort.
Thannhauser netted 14 to lead Elmira in the loss, while Peterman added 11 points and five boards. Taczynski, who buried three triples on the evening, finished with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.