HOBOKEN, NJ - The Utica College women's basketball team fell behind 14-2 over the course of the opening 6:38 but the Pioneers rallied behind tournament MVP Mallory Davis, and gutted out their first-ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship, 55-46, over host Stevens Institute of Technology Saturday. With the win, the Pioneers improved to 17-10 overall and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986. The pairings for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday, Mar. 3, while the first round begins on Wednesday, Mar. 5.

The Pioneers, who entered the contest as the two-seed, trailed by one point at the half, 25-24, after mounting a 22-10 run over the final 13 minutes of the first half. Timely 3-pointers by Davis, a junior guard, and a stiffling 2-3 zone from the Pioneers held the much bigger Ducks to a 17.4% (4-for-23) shooting from behind the arc and 25.8% (17-of-66) shooting from the floor on the evening.

Stevens was able to convert on just five field goals in the second half, while the Pioneers shot 40% (11-of-27) from the floor to outscore the Ducks by ten second half points. Davis opened up the second half with a 3-pointer to give the Pioneers a 27-25 lead, one they would not surrender for the rest of the evening.

Freshman forward Jessica Berry scored 12 points and added 13 rebounds, while classmate Devon Croll scored 14 points and added a game-high four steals. Berry and Croll netted four key free throws over the final :42 seconds of action to seal the victory for the Pioneers.

Three different Ducks ripped down double-digit boards, including point guard Dan Dudek (10), Dora Enright (10) and Paige Armstrong (10). Dudek netted ten points for the Ducks, while Sarah Gehring netted a team-high 12 points.