Box Score Stevens 56, Utica 49 - Box Score

Utica, NY (1-28-12) – The Utica College women's basketball team made a second half charge against Empire 8 rival Stevens, but fell the Pioneers valiant effort fell short on Saturday, 56-48, at the Clark Athletic Center.  Junior Meghan Fiore (Epping, NH/Epping) registered a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards to lead the Pioneers.  Fiore was honored prior to the contest for becoming the 10th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a career on Friday evening.  Fiore is the third Pioneer in three years to join the prestigious club, following in the foot steps of 2011 graduate Jessica Berry (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Devon Croll (Vernon, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill). 

UC dropped to 7-13 overall and the Pioneers are now 2-7 in conference play, while the Ducks moved to 8-11 on the season and 5-4 in E8 play.

The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of play as the score was tied, 8-8, with 11:41 on the clock.  The visitors began to pull away as they went on 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 17-8 advantage at 8:25.  UC answered with a 10-6 run over the next seven minutes as freshman guard Marissa Kahane (Sayville, NY/Sayville) drained two long balls to pull within five of the lead, 23-18, with 56 seconds left before the half.  Two Stevens' free throws gave the Ducks a 25-18 lead at intermission.

The Ducks momentum continued into the second half as they pushed to a 14 point lead on a 7-2 run and led the home team 34-20 with 16:49 to play.  Over the next 12 minutes of action, Utica got rolling as it used a 17-4 spurt to pull within a deep ball of the lead, 40-37.  However, that would be the closest UC would get as Stevens closed out the victory on a 16-9 strut to remain fourth in the conference standings.

Senior guard Katie McGee (Philadelphia, PA/Nazareth) posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting along with six dishes and three steals.  Freshman Bridget Greenwald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) recorded eight points and two boards in 11 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers.

Stevens shot 46% from the field compared to UC's 38.5%.  Dawn Garcia, Jillian Barrett and Avis Benjamin combined for 40 of the Ducks 56 points.

UC hits the road next weekend for a pair of Empire 8 Conference games in Rochester, NY.  The Pioneers will challenge St. John Fisher College on Friday night at 6 p.m. before traveling down East Avenue to face Nazareth College at 2 p.m. on Sunday.