Late Rally Falls Short as Women's Basketball Drops 66-59 Decision to St. Lawrence
HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 18, 2007) – On Sunday afternoon, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s basketball team competed in the championship game of the 2007 Stevens Tip-Off Tournament. It faced St. Lawrence and fell by the final score of 66-59. With the defeat, the Ducks dropped to 1-1 on the year while the Saints improved to 2-0. In the game, senior forward Dora Enright recorded a team-high 16 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Dani Dudek added 12 points, six assists, five boards and two steals.
In the first half, St. Lawrence opened up a 7-3 lead, which started via a successful lay-up by senior guard Kimberly Sikule (Westerlo, N.Y.). From that point on, the two squads traded baskets until the 10:46 mark. At that juncture, the Saints opened up an 18-4 run that was capped off by a jumper from senior guard and the tournament MVP Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, N.Y.). Heading into the intermission, SLU held a 36-20 advantage over Stevens. During that stanza, Dudek led the Ducks with six points and four rebounds. Junior guard and all-tournament selection Katie Palmer (Bourne, Mass.) headed the Saints with 10 markers and three defensive rebounds.
At the start of the second half, St. Lawrence picked up from where it left off as the Saints held a double-digit lead until there was 11:03 remaining. Shortly thereafter, Stevens slowly proceeded to get back into the game. Shots made by Dudek, Enright and senior guard Jean Matusiak pulled the Ducks within five points with 2:44 to go in regulation. Following a turnover by Sikule, Stevens turned the match into a one-possession game at 58-56 when sophomore forward Brittany Fuller notched her first trifecta of the night. That shot was also part of a 22-7 run that put the Ducks within a deuce after being down by as many as 20 points with 17 minutes to go. However, Stevens’ comeback was silenced after a three-ball by Wolff put the game away for good.
Immediately following the contest, the all-tournament team was announced. Palmer was the selection from the Saints. In addition, Wolff was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Enright was dubbed as a member of the squad from the Ducks. New Jersey City University freshman guard Angela Fitzgerald (Jersey City, N.J.) and North Carolina Wesleyan College freshman forward Desiree Driver (Minneapolis, Minn.) garnered all-tournament team honors as well.
In the consolation game, NJCU defeated North Carolina Wesleyan by a 67-58 count. In the opening period, the teams were in a 9-9 deadlock after nine minutes of play. Then, the Gothic Knights (1-1) went up by five off of a pair of made baskets by sophomore guard Carolina Garcia (Franklin Park, N.J.) and junior forward Alaia Robinson (Irvington, N.J.) at 10:13 and 9:40, respectively. After that, the Battling Bishops (0-2) drew a 17-7 run in the final 8:45 to go into the locker room up by a score of 26-21. After the first half, Robinson led all players with 11 points and nine rebounds while NCWC senior forward Cheyenne Hall (Stafford, Va.) added nine points and five boards.
Fitzgerald sounded off for New Jersey City in the second half as she picked up 16 points and seven rebounds to lead the Gothic Knights on a 46-32 streak to get the win. NJCU shot 37.8 percent (14-for-37) from the floor and 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from beyond the arc in the period.
Head Coach Jon Hochberg and his squad return to action this Tuesday when they travel to Madison, N.J. for their first road game of the 2007-08 season against Fairleigh Dickinson University. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Stevens Tip-Off Tournament Recap
Saturday, November 17
St. Lawrence University d. New Jersey City University, 79-56
Stevens Institute of Technology d. North Carolina Wesleyan College, 57-37
Sunday, November 18
New Jersey City University d. North Carolina Wesleyan College, 67-58
St. Lawrence University d. Stevens Institute of Technology, 66-59
All-Tournament Team
Angela Fitzgerald – New Jersey City University
Desiree’ Driver – North Carolina Wesleyan College
Dora Enright – Stevens Institute of Technology
Katie Palmer – St. Lawrence University
Most Valuable Player
Jamie Wolff – St. Lawrence University
