ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Basketball connected on 9-of-20 3-pointers and put together a strong defensive game to earn a 70-58 home win over the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks (5-12, 2-4 MAC Freedom) in a game with massive post-season implications. Jaelyn Harris scored 20 points and Da'Naziah Brown added 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Eagles to the win.

How It Happened:
The Eagles broke open a tight game late with a 12-to-2 run to expand a one-point lead to a 59-48 advantage with three minutes to play. Brown scored eight points on a pair of 3-pointers and a couple free throws in the run. Brown made 3-of-4 from behind the arc in the contest. The lead grew to 13 points on a Jaelyn Harris three-point play with a minute left. Jaelyn Harris was 7-for-11 from the floor with four 3-pointers. 

After playing to a 15-15 tie in the opening period, the Ducks took advantage of a cold-shooting second frame from the Eagles to grab a 27-23 lead. The Eagles (9-8, 4-2 MAC Freedom) went just 2-of-11 from the floor in the second, but played well enough on the defensive end to stay within striking distance. After Brown hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the period, the Eagles did not score again until Naomi Harris slipped a beautiful bounce pass to Viki Kneis for a lay-up and a 20-20 tie. 

Kneis put the Eagles up 22-20 with a pair of free throws, but the Ducks scored seven of the last eight points of the half to go to the locker room with the lead. 

The scoring pace picked up in the third quarter. After Jess Broad hit a 3-pointer for the Ducks, Kay Wulah answered from distance. Stevens held a 36-30 lead two and a half minutes into the second half when Jaelyn Harris connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game. Naomi Harris then put the eagles up 39-36 on a traditional three-point play, adn the Eastern lead grew to five on a fast-break hoop from Brynn Schmidt on a dish from Harris. 

The Ducks would cut the lead to one point on several occasions, but were never able to grab the lead before Eastern's decisive run.

The Eagles held the Ducks to 37.7 percent shooting in the game. Wulah had 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, and Kneis had 11 points and seven rebounds. The Eagles had a 39-31 edge on the glass. Danielle Cornetta and Annetta Panayides led the Ducks with 14 and 13 points each. 

Coach Houston Says:
"This game was definitely a bounce-back game. We really struggled to hold our intensity through the game at Misericorida. Tonight, we played extremely hard on the defensive side through the whole game. We did a really nice job guarding the three-point line. We still had too many turnovers, but we recovered defensively, and we found a way to win the game. The bench definitely stepped up big when we have a few players in foul trouble in the first half."

Up Next:
The Eagles will wrap up the first half of the league season with a home game against DeSales. The Bulldogs dismantled Misericordia in Center Valley today and are one of three teams ahead of Eastern in the MAC Freedom standings. With the win today, the Eagles will sit in the top half of the table at the midpoint of the season.