Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J.  (February 8, 2013) – Freshman guard Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while junior forward Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) tallied 15 points, seven boards, four steals and two blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team improved to 12-10 overall and 6-5 in the Empire 8 with a 60-47 win over Elmira College Friday afternoon in Canavan Arena.
 
After Elmira opened a 13-10 lead 8:52 into the game, the Ducks made their game-deciding run to close the first half, outscoring the Soaring Eagles 21-3 to take a 31-16 lead into the intermission. Benjamin scored the first five points in the run and seven overall, with Ripken and freshman forward Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) netting six apiece.
 
Stevens shot 44.4 percent in the first and connected on 6-of-8 at the line, while holding Elmira to 25.9 percent from the floor and 1-for-8 from three.
 
Elmira was able to quickly cut the Stevens lead to 10 points 1:01 into the second half, but the Ducks did a nice job withstanding small runs to maintain a solid lead. After junior guard Jessica Zoltowski (Erie, Pa.), who scored a team-high 16 points for Elmira, cut the Ducks' lead to single digits at the 10:11 mark, a three-pointer from junior guard Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) quickly put Stevens back up 11 (48-37). The Ducks extended the margin to 15 with 5:24 on the clock behind a Krause jumper, and the Soaring Eagles did not threaten the rest of the way.
 
The Stevens defense was stingy all evening, finishing with 10 blocks and 11 steals while holding Elmira to 32.1 percent shooting and scoring 22 points off turnovers. Senior forward Maggie Kowalska (Edison, N.J.), who was honored with a Senior Night ceremony prior to the game, led the defense with five blocked shots. Benjamin added four steals, and junior guard Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) added a pair of thefts as well with both Benjamin and Krause tallying two rejections.
 
Krause finished with eight points and seven rebounds, Kowalska added six points and a game-high 11 boards, while Thompson chipped in with seven points, two boards and a steal in a strong performance off the bench.
 
The Ducks shot 50 percent from the field and 2-for-6 from three-point range. They went 10-for-13 from the line and had 35 rebounds compared to 36 for Elmira. Stevens assisted on 15 of their 24 made baskets.
 
Zoltowski led Elmira with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals, while sophomore guard Alex Balara (Marlton, N.J.) had 13 points, four rebounds and four steals.
 
Stevens will host Ithaca College tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. All the action will be webcast live from the Canavan Arena. Elmira will visit Hartwick College.
 
For your Stevens Athletics news “like” us on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/StevensAthletics) and “follow” us on Twitter @stevensducks (www.Twitter.com/StevensDucks).