HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 3, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team dropped a 51-48 game to league rival Elmira College on Friday evening. The game featured an astonishing 19 lead changes and seven ties as the two sides scrapped and battled for the entire night. Stevens was led by senior Victoria Webber (Silver Spring, Md.) and sophomore Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.), who scored 11 points apiece.
The game was close throughout. Elmira led for an eight-minute stretch late in the first half, but a free throw by Benjamin tied it up with five minutes to go. On the next possession, Jillian Barrett (Philadelphia, Pa.) banked in a three-pointer with the shot clock ticking down to give the Ducks a three-point lead.
A jumper by Liz Forrest (North Walpole, N.H.) gave the Soaring Eagles the lead again, but Webber answered with a bucket with 15 seconds to go in the half that gave Stevens a 26-25 lead at the break.
Dawn Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) began the second half with a good shot from downtown, but the teams would be tied four times over the next 10 minutes. Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) hit a running jumper in the lane to give the Ducks their last lead, 46-43, with seven minutes to go.
A pair of Garcia free throws were all the offense the Ducks could muster from that point, however, as Elmira climbed back into the lead. With two seconds remaining the Ducks had possession with a chance to tie, but Barrett's half-court heave came up short.
Forrest and Maria Thannhauser (Newfield, N.Y.) led Elmira with 14 points each…rebounds (27-26) and assists (11-10) were remarkably close…the Ducks shot 92 percent from the free-throw line, missing just one of 12….the hosts were 3-for-11 from behind the arc.
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