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Women’s Basketball Takes Aim At Second Empire 8 Title
With seven returnees from last season’s 18-11 squad that earned an Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Division Championship game berth, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s basketball team enters the 2010-11 season with its sights set on a second Empire 8 title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
“The team is very motivated to compete and get back to the NCAA’s. Although we will it take one game at a time, we have our sights set on a second conference championship,” said first-year head coach Bri Fecteau. “In order to reach our goal, we will strive to get better as a team each time we step on the court.”
Coming off its first-ever conference crown and NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2008-09 season, the Ducks posted an 18-11 overall mark a year ago with a 12-4 league ledger. A pair of Ducks earned all-conference accolades for their efforts as Stevens finished the season ranked first in the Empire 8 in rebounding margin (+8.8), second in scoring defense (55.8), and third in scoring margin (+6.8) and field-goal defense – holding opponents to a paltry .338 shooting percentage.
Among those hoping to build upon last year’s success are a trio of returning starters in junior guard Dawn Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y.), junior forward Jillian Barrett (Philadelphia, Pa.), and senior forward Paige Armstrong (Fair Haven, N.J.).
“I am very fortunate to have inherited a team with such talented and determined upperclassmen,” said Fecteau. “With their leadership and work ethic we will definitely be a team to contend with.”
Garcia, an all-Empire 8 honorable mention selection a year ago, ranked second on the team in points and assists per game with 9.8 and 3.14, respectively. As the team’s primary point-guard, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native finished the season ranked third in the league in assist to turnover ratio (1.25).
Currently first all-time in program history in career three-point percentage (.344), Garcia buried 46 shots from behind the arc last year, the sixth-highest single-season total in school history. She also holds the highest single-season three-point percentage on the Ducks’ charts, connecting on 42 percent of her attempts as a freshman in 2008-09.
“Dawn (Garcia) is one of those rare players with the ability to single-handedly take over a game,” explained Fecteau. “We will look for her to lead us as a point guard and be scoring threat.”
One of three seniors, Armstrong returns after enjoying a solid junior season in which she made 21 starts, averaging 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. The efficient Fair Haven, N.J. native, who holds the program’s top-two single season marks in field-goal percentage, enters the year as the Ducks’ career field-goal percentage leader (.588), while ranking sixth on the career rebounds chart with 6.7 per game.
Hoping to help solidify the Stevens frontline is Barrett, who made 23 starts last year, averaging 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. A solid rebounder and one of the Ducks’ biggest threats inside, Barrett ranked third in the league in offensive rebounds, while finishing fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage (.454).
“Paige (Armstrong) is one of those players you love playing with. She has such a love and passion for the game and everyone around her feels it. She was selected by her teammates as a co-captain and is doing a great job leading this team both on and off the court,” said Fecteau. “Jill (Barrett) has a great basketball mind and is very good at thinking the game. She’s a versatile player who can be effective on the inside and the outside. One of her biggest strengths and assets to this team is how well she can play and connect with her teammates on the court.”
Also returning to the squad this season are Victoria O’Connor (Westwood, N.J.), Kathleen Schuckers (Lincoln Park, N.J.), Ellie Kleinhans (East Lyme, Conn.), and Isaura Guzman (Union City, N.J.).
A senior center, O’Connor will look to be one of the Ducks’ focal points in the middle this season, after finishing the 2009-10 campaign averaging 7.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The Westwood, N.J. was especially impressive on the defensive end, leading the team in blocks with 31, while ranking fifth in the conference in rebounding.
Schuckers, a junior guard who averaged 5.3 points and 3.38 assists per contest, will look to build upon a quality sophomore showing in which she finished the season ranked first in the Empire 8 in assist to turnover ratio (1.44), while Kleinhans and Guzman will look to give Stevens some added depth.
“Tori (O’Connor) is the type of post player a DIII coach can only hope for. She has the size and strength of a DI student-athlete and the work ethic to match. She will be a presence for us in the paint. Schuckers is enjoying a fantastic soccer season as she has helped her team reach the NCAA’s. She is a great athlete and we look forward to her joining us after the soccer season,” said Fecteau. “Ellie (Kleinhans) is another versatile player who will help us out in the post and on the perimeter. She has great physical strength in the post and will be a force for us inside. Coupled with her ability to step out and hit the three and penetrate, she will be difficult to defend. We are hoping for Isa (Guzman) to have her first healthy season as a Duck. Her shooting ability provides an element to the game that is exciting and fun to watch and will give us the depth we need.”
Having sat out last season, senior Brianne Lavin (Farmingdale, N.J.) and junior Victoria Webber (Silver Spring, Md.) will aim to shore up the Ducks’ lineup. As a reserve guard, Lavin appeared in all 29 games during the 2008-09 season – ranking third on the team in assists – while Webber averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 21 starts.
“Bri (Lavin) is our floor general. She does a great job controlling our offense and getting people where they need to be. She has the ability to penetrate and score or create for others and knock down the three. She was also nominated co-captain by her teammates and her leadership will be invaluable this season,” Fecteau said. “Vicky (Webber) is a consummate competitor with a skill set that makes the sky the limit. She has great instincts on the court and will be a tough match-up as she is a threat inside and out.”
Rounding out the Stevens’ squad are a talented group of freshmen in Catherine Keough (Barnegat, N.J.), Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.), Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) and Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.).
“We have a group of five freshmen that add energy and enthusiasm to our team,” added Fecteau. “From day one they have fit right in with everyone and will add the depth we will need to play back-to-back games in conference play.”
Stevens will begin its 2010-11 season with a five-game homestand starting with its season-opener against The College of New Jersey on November 15. The Ducks will then host its annual Tip-Off Tournament on November 20-21 before welcoming the University of Scranton and the City College of New York on December 1 and 5, respectively.
Stevens will travel to the College of Staten Island on December 7 before opening Empire 8 play at Utica College on December 10. After a three-week layoff, the Ducks host Brooklyn College on December 30 before christening the New Year with match-up against Hunter College on January 3. Stevens returns to conference play on January 7-8 against Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College before facing St. John Fisher College and Alfred University on January 14-15.
Following away games at Ithaca College, Elmira College, and Hartwick College, the Ducks will play host to Utica on January 28. Stevens then hits the road on February 4-5 to once again take on Alfred and St. John Fisher before closing out the season with six home games culminating in a February 19 showdown with Ithaca College.
Helping Fecteau navigate a difficult 2010-11 schedule, are assistant coaches Bridget Catanese and Dani Dudek. Catanese enters her first season with the Ducks after previously serving as the graduate assistant women’s basketball coach at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., while Dudek begins her second full season on the sideline after a decorated four-year playing career with the Ducks.
“Bridget (Catanese) and Dani (Dudek) are excellent coaches and more importantly excellent people. Bridget goes above and beyond no matter the task and already has a great connection with the girls. She has a personality that people gravitate toward and really knows how to reach and motivate the team,” explained Fecteau. “Being a former standout player here at Stevens, Dani brings that intangible love and passion for the game and for the Ducks. She is a great role model for our student-athletes and we are all lucky to have her.”
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