Box Score

Highlights

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 1, 2013) – Senior forward Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.) was one block away from a triple-double and the Stevens Institute of Technology defense held visiting Utica College to nine total field goals en route to a 58-36 Empire 8 win over the Pioneers Friday night in the Canavan Arena.
 
With the win, the Ducks even their overall record to 10-10 and move to 5-5 in the conference. Utica drops to 10-11 and 6-5 in the Empire 8.
 
Kowalska finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks. She also had two steals and four assists. The nine blocks broke the individual single-game record and Stevens' 13 rejections as a team did the same thing. The senior also now has 51 for the season which is the single-season mark as well.
 
Freshman forward Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) had 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, while junior guard Moly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two thefts. Junior forward Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) tallied eight points, five rebounds and two steals, while freshman guard Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) had six points, four boards, four assists and a pair of steals. The Ducks had 13 steals as a team, while shooting 43.3 percent (26-for-60) from the field and 3-for-9 from long range.
 
Utica shot just 9-for-60 (15 percent) for the game, and the Pioneers were 2-for-24 from three. The guests hit 16 of their 30 free throws.
 
The Ducks' defense was remarkable in the first half, holding the Pioneers to just 14.7 percent from the field and 0-for-14 from long range. The Ducks on the other hand were 14-for-34 (41.2 percent) and jumped out to an 11-0 lead 3:03 into the game. The Pioneers scored at the 17:22 mark, but the Stevens lead quickly moved to 14 (17-3) after a Kowalska layup.
 
Utica countered with a nice run to get within five at the three-minute mark of the first half, outscoring the Ducks 17-6 over a span of 9:20 to get back in the game.
 
A layup from junior guard Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) pushed the hosts back up eight points (25-17) with 2:34 in the opening period, and following a stop on the next Utica possession, senior guard Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) converted a bucket and the Ducks were back up 10. Stevens ended up closing the first half a nice 8-0 spurt to take a 31-17 margin into the locker room.
 
The second half was all Ducks, and once Utica scored to make it 33-19, Stevens held the Pioneers scoreless for the next 10:56 to turn a 14-point edge into a 31-point edge thanks to a 17-0 run.
 
The Pioneers pressed for the final five minutes, to slice into the lead but it was not nearly enough as Stevens cruised to its seventh double-digit win of the year.
 
The Ducks had a 48-45 edge in rebounding and scored 15 points off turnovers. They never trailed in the game and led by as many as 36 points late in the second half.
 
Stevens will return to action Monday at Richard Stockton College. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Pomona, N.J.
 
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