ELMIRA, N.Y. (February 8, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team led from the opening tip of a 62-46 Empire 8 Conference victory at Elmira College on Saturday afternoon in Speidel Gymnasium.

Stevens (15-7, 8-4) moves into third in the conference with the win and was up by as many as 23 points on Elmira (14-6, 6-4). The Ducks played stellar defense throughout the contest and held Elmira to just 27.5-percent shooting (14-for-51), while Stevens went 22-for-49 (44.9%) from the floor. The two teams were virtually even in free throws, three-pointers and turnovers, but Stevens was plus-nine in rebounds (37 to 28).

Freshman Erica Guketlov (Spotswood, N.J.) got things started for the Ducks with a long ball just 14 seconds into the game which sparked the Ducks to go on an 11-3 run over the first 3:40. Neither team scored for the next 3:19 until Elmira hit a three-pointer to cut its deficit to 11-6.

Stevens went back up by eight points, 14-6, on a basket from sophomore Kaitlyn Astel (Staten Island, N.Y.) midway through the half. The Ducks built a 10-point cushion, 20-10, up to the 6:36 mark of the half, but the Soaring Eagles would climb back to within four at 20-16 in a 1:20 span.

After that, the Ducks scored 11 unanswered points to account for their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 31-16 with two minutes left in the half. The first half ended with a 14-point spread, 34-20.

Elmira sank a pair of free throws to start the second half, but Stevens responded with an 8-0 run to go up by 20 points, 42-22, with 14 minutes left in regulation. The Soaring Eagles brought the game back to within 16 points at 42-26, but that was the closest they could get until the final basket of the contest.

Astel led the Ducks with 13 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Guketlov chipped in eight points on 3-for-6 shooting and made two of the team's four three-pointers in the game.

Sophomore Miranda Ripken (Fallston, Md.) added nine points on 50-percent shooting with five points and four assists, while senior Molly Spadaro (Sewell, N.J.) went 4-for-5 for eight points and a pair of boards.

Senior Avis Benjamin (Queens, N.Y.) and sophomore Dylan Krause (Atlanta, Ga.) paced all players with seven rebounds. Benjamin recorded seven points in the win, while Krause tallied six. Both also registered two steals.

Senior Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) and freshman Brittany Washington (Iselin, N.J.) each scored four points in the win.

The Ducks play next Saturday at Houghton College at 4 p.m. Stevens wraps up the regular season with a road contest at Hartwick College on the 18th at 8 p.m. and home for Senior Night against Elmira on the 21st at 8 p.m.

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