HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 21, 2012) – Despite 23 points from senior Victoria Webber (Silver Spring, Md.), the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team (7-9, 4-2) lost a tight conference clash with St. John Fisher College 60-56 on Saturday afternoon. Stevens had a couple clutch threes down the stretch but Fisher (7-10, 3-3) was able to hold off the Stevens comeback bid.
Stevens led by as many as seven points in the first half, with the high-water mark coming on a traditional three-point play from Webber at 4:43. Webber and Meghan Soja (Whitesboro, N.Y.) led all scorers for their respective teams with 12 points each at the break.
Fisher put on a zone press over part of the first half, but each time it seemed to lead to a quality scoring chance for the Ducks rather than a turnover. The Cardinals switched to a more traditional defense and ended the period on a 5-0 run to send the teams to their locker rooms tied at 28 points each.
Stevens scored six of the first eight points of the second half, with Jillian Barrett (Philadelphia, Pa.), Webber and Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) scoring two points each to give the Ducks a four-point advantage with 17 minutes to go.
The Cardinals engineered a 7-0 run not long after that, however, shifting the lead to their side as the kept the Ducks off the scoreboard for four minutes.
Stevens was forced to play catch-up for the rest of the afternoon. Jen Thompson (Linwood, N.J.) hit a big three-pointer with the Ducks trailing by seven to bring the team within range with four minutes to go, and Dawn Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit two free throws on the next possession to cut the Cardinal lead to two.
Fisher kept pace, and Garcia hit two more clutch free throws with two minutes left to bring the Ducks back within two. The Ducks played to steal, and gave up a couple buckets that increased the Fisher lead to six.
Webber cut that in half with a long three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining, and Fisher missed the ensuing front end of a one-and-one. But Camaryn Buckner (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) grabbed the important offensive board, was fouled and made both of those free throws.
The Ducks came down the floor and this time it was Barrett who nailed a three – this one cutting the Fisher lead to two with 24 seconds left. Fisher made one of its free throws and left it a one-possession game.
Webber got off a contested three with 15 seconds left but could not get it to go as Fisher made its free throws to fend off the Ducks in a spirited contest.
Soja led the Cardinals with 16 points and Portia Velasco (Vallejo, Calif.) had 15…Barrett was a field goal away from a double-double (eight points / 12 rebounds) and Webber needed just two boards for her own double-double…the Cardinals shot just 13.3% (2 of 15) from behind the arc.
Stevens will host its Duck Country event on Tuesday evening – as will the men's team – as the Ducks take on Hartwick College in an Empire 8 showdown. The women's tip is set for 6 p.m.
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