Box Score

ELMIRA, N.Y. (January 26, 2013) – Senior forward Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team to a 69-66 Empire 8 win at Elmira College Saturday afternoon.
 
Benjamin scored on four separate occasions inside of five minutes to help the Ducks to the conference win that improved their overall record to 9-9 and their E8 mark to 6-4.
 
The Ducks took an early 8-1 lead thanks to some strong inside work from Benjamin 3:09 into the action, but the Soaring Eagles responded in a major way, outscoring the Ducks 15-1 over the next 4:49 to open a 16-7 margin. Junior guard Jessica Zoltowski (Erie, Pa.) hit a three-pointer to give the Soaring Eagles their first lead of the day and had five points in the run, while junior guard Liz Forrest (North Walpole, N.H.) had four.
 
Freshman Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) nailed a three-pointer to stem some of the Soaring Eagle momentum and get the Ducks within four, however every time Stevens looked to get closer, Elmira was able to get a big hoop or a stop to keep a solid edge.
 
After a three-pointer from junior guard Maria Thannhauser (Newfield, N.Y.) gave the Soaring Eagles their largest lead of the afternoon, junior guard Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) brought the Ducks within six (35-29) to again slow some building Elmira momentum and the two teams went into intermission with the score 35-29.
 
Stevens came out with some full-court pressure and was better on offense, holding the hosts scoreless for the first 4:47 of the second half. During that time, the Ducks scored 12 points in a row to turn a six-point deficit into a six-point advantage.
 
The Ducks pushed the lead to nine after a pair at the line from Krause made it 50-41, but the Soaring Eagles would not go away, getting a triple from Thannhauser to get it back to a six-point game. Benjamin scored underneath to get the lead back to eight and the Ducks did a nice job holding onto a lead with the trio of Spadaro, Benjamin and Ripken fighting foul trouble.
 
Elmira trimmed the lead to five with Thannhauser's third three-pointer of the game with 4:15 on the clock, and Zoltowski got the hosts within three with a spin move in the paint.
 
On Stevens' ensuing possession, Ripken found Benjamin rolling to the hoop on the left side for a big basket. Elmira tallied one of its two chances at the line on its next possession, but Krause fed Benjamin again to get the lead back to six at 62-56 with 2:26 on the clock. Junior guard Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) and Benjamin executed a marvelous pick-and-roll on the right side that turned into a three-point play to give the Ducks a 65-58 advantage.
 
The Soaring Eagles were able to run off a trio of points to fight back within four, but Benjamin scored in the paint for the fourth time in five possessions to give Stevens some breathing room with less than one minute to play and the score at 67-61.
 
Sophomore Alex Balara (Marlton, N.J.) canned a triple from the right side with 34.5 ticks to keep Elmira within striking distance, and a Stevens turnover on the next possession gave Elmira the ball. The Ducks fouled and sophomore guard Kelsey Geisler (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit a pair at the line to make it 68-66 with 28 seconds remaining.
 
Senior guard Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) converted 1-of-2 at the line with 24.7 on the clock, and the Stevens defense was able to hold on at the end for the win.
 
The Ducks shot 46.5 percent from the field, 3-for-9 from three and an excellent 26-for-32 at the line. Benjamin had 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Krause had 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds and four steals, with Spadaro getting 13 points, five rebounds and three helpers. Senior forward Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.) had seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots in a nice all-around effort.
 
Elmira was led by Thannhauser's 22. Zoltowski and Balara each were in double figures as the Soaring Eagles shot 29 percent from the field, 22.6 percent from three and 19-for-27 at the line.
 
Stevens will return to action on Tuesday night when it hosts Hartwick College at 6 p.m. All the action can be seen live at www.Empire8.TV.
 
 
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