HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 15, 2010) – The Baruch College men's basketball team downed Stevens Institute of Technology, 79-75, in a tight season-opening battle on Monday night at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Duck junior Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) scored 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to lead five players in double figures. Junior Chris Beauchamp (Glendale, N.Y.) and senior Tammer Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) scored 24 and 21 points, respectively, for the Bearcats in the win.
The entire game was a back-and-forth battle and it was the Ducks that took an early 8-4 lead after sophomore guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) converted one of two from the line. Stevens pushed the lead to six (12-6) when Smith put in a layup on a pretty look from freshman guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) with11:35 to play in the first half, but that would be the largest lead of the night for the Ducks as Baruch came back with a 19-6 run over the next 4:20 to open up seven-point lead with 6:19. Farid led the run with seven points and senior guard Lionel Hilaire (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) and Beauchamp each added six.
The Ducks withstood the run and wasted no time in returning the favor. After Baruch took a 28-21 lead, Stevens rattled off 13 of the game's next 19 points to go into the locker room with the scored knotted at 34 apiece. Skrelja was able to connect on a runner from the right side as the horn sounded.
In the opening moments of the second, the two teams traded buckets, and the Ducks took their first lead since 18-17 when Jones made a driving layup after a steal by junior guard Mike Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) to make it 42-40 Stevens with 16:28 left.
In a see-saw battle, Baruch came back with a 10-3 spurt to open up a five-point lead (50-45) with a little less than 14 minutes to play, but the Stevens bench hung tough and responded with a 12-5 run over the game's next 3:02 to regain the advantage at 57-55.
The Ducks would push their edge to four (62-58) with 8:38 to go but the experienced Bearcats answered with a 10-0 run and opened up a 68-62 lead with 5:35 left after a running left-handed layup in the lane by Beauchamp.
Stevens fought back to tie the score at 73 with 2:00 left following a swished 19-foot baseline jumper from Cutri, but Baruch answered with a layup from Farid, two stops on the next Stevens posessions, and a pair of made free throws from Farid to seal the win.
Three Bearcats were in double figures led by Beauchamp's 24 and Farid's 21. Hilaire added 16 as Baruch shot 10-of-21 from three-point range, and 48.1 percent from the field (26-of-54).
Smith had a monster game for Stevens, adding a steal and two assists to his 20 points and 15 boards. He was 7-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the line. Senior center Bryan Franklin (Highlands Ranch, Calif.) played a strong 15 minutes for the Ducks, tallying 13 points, five rebounds (three offensive), one block, and one steal.
Jones finished with 12 points and four rebounds and Cutri scored 11, pulled down five rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists. Freshman Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) had a fine debut off the Ducks' bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing three rebounds in 15 minutes. He was perfect from the field (3-for-3) and the free-throw line (4-for-4). Skrelja also gave Stevens some quality minutes, notching six points and handing out three assists.
Stevens ended the game shooting 45.0 percent from the field but went just 3-of-13 from three. The Ducks hit 18-of-25 from the line, and out-rebounded Baruch, 40-29.
The game featured nine tied and 11 lead changes.
Stevens will return to action on Friday night at 8 p.m. when it hosts Hunter College in the Stevens Tip-Off Tournament. For those unable to make the game, all the action will be webcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com.
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