Box Score

Empire 8 Standings

ALFRED, N.Y. (February 15, 2013) – Junior forward Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) led four players in double figures as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team improved to 7-6 in the Empire 8 and 13-11 overall with a 74-56 win at Alfred University Friday night.
 
The Ducks are now in a four-way tie in the conference standings with Utica College, Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College for the two remaining spots in the Empire 8 Championship. Ithaca College has locked up the No. 1 seed and Hartwick College is No. 2. A number of tiebreaker scenarios exist but the Ducks would go a long way in securing a berth in the tournament if they win Saturday afternoon at Fisher.
 
After the Ducks opened an 11-point lead seven minutes into the game, Alfred came back to get the game within two points at halftime. The Saxons closed the final 3:28 of the period on a 10-2 run, making it 33-31 at the break.
 
In the second, Stevens slowly began to extend the margin. A three-pointer from junior guard Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) pushed the lead to seven at the 19:05 mark, and following a Saxon triple to get back within four points, back-to-back buckets from freshman guard Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) pushed the guests advantage back to eight.
 
A layup by Benjamin gave the Ducks their first double-digit lead of the second half at the 12:13 mark, and a traditional three-point play from freshman forward Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) made it 60-45 Ducks with 9:10 remaining.
 
Alfred would not threaten the rest of the way as the lead swelled to 17 following a layup from senior forward Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.) and then 20 at the 2:23 mark behind another bucket from Ripken.
 
The Ducks shot 46.9 percent for the game and 54.8 percent in the second half, hitting 17 of their 31 shots. They went 12-of-19 at the line and ended with 15 steals, getting five from Kowalska, four from Ripken and three from Krause. Krause and Benjamin each had a pair of blocked shots as well. Stevens scored 26 points off turnovers and led for the final 37:03 of the game. The Ducks also notched 46 points in the paint.
 
Benjamin shot 10-for-14 in scoring her 23 points, while Krause had 16 points and six rebounds. Ripken tallied 16 points, three boards and three assists and Kowalska finished with 10 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and a team-high five assists.
 
Sophomore Harley Cleary (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Saxons with 17 points and five rebounds. Alfred shot 33.3 percent from the field but did hit eight three-pointers (8-for-20). The Saxons ended the game with a 44-38 edge on the glass.
 
Saturday's contest at Fisher will start at 4 p.m. and be webcast live at www.Empire8.TV.