HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 14, 2011) – Sophomore guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a thrilling 58-54 win over Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher College on Friday night at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. With the win, Stevens improves to 3-1 in the Empire 8 and 9-3 overall, while Fisher drops to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

Junior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) gave the Ducks a one-point lead (52-51) 15 seconds into the overtime period after drawing a foul on the extra session's first offensive possession. That score held for the next three-plus minutes until junior guard Mike Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) who had battled foul trouble all night long, buried a three from the left wing with 1:32 remaining to give the Ducks a four-point lead at 55-51.

The next possession for each squad resulted in no points which forced Fisher to foul Jones, and the sophomore came through with a pair to put the game away with 25 seconds left.

The Cardinals were able to make a jumper with one second remaining to pull within four but it was too little too late and the Ducks locked up the big conference win.

With the game tied at 10-all 8:30 into the action, Stevens went on a 6-0 run over a span of 2:05 to open up a 16-10 lead midway through the opening period. Fisher came back with 14-4 run of its own over the next 4:46 to take its largest lead of the early going at 24-20, before the Ducks scored four of the final seven points of the first half to send the two teams into intermission with the Cardinals holding a 27-24 lead.

Each team scored eight points off turnovers with Stevens tallying 16 of its 27 points in the paint. The two teams connected on 10-of-21 from the floor (47.6 percent) but Fisher hit a pair of three-pointers.

Stevens was led offensively by Jones' 10 points. Freshman forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) scored four points and had five rebounds for the Ducks who ended the first half with a 15-10 advantage on the glass. Fisher was led by eight points from sophomore forward Grant Wrap (Hamburg, N.Y.) and seven from senior forward Brandon Witte (Baldwinsville, N.Y.).

Fisher expanded its three-point halftime lead to five on several occasions early in the second half but could not put any real distance between themselves and the Ducks.

Trailing 37-32 with 13:58 left in the second, Stevens went on an 8-0 run over a span of 2:37 to open up a three-point advantage of its own following a layup from Sabatino. Senior center Bryan Franklin (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) pushed the lead to four at 42-38 with 9:12 to go, and after the two teams traded buckets for the next 4:30, a Cutri free throw extended the Duck lead to five points.

The Cardinals went on to score six-straight points thanks to a pair of three-pointers to regain the lead at 48-47 with 3:05 in regulation. Cutri responded on the Ducks' next possession with a driving layup and after two empty possessions for each team, a Jones 17-footer gave Stevens a three-point lead with 1:02 showing on the clock.

Fisher missed on its first attempt to tie, but following an offensive rebound, freshman guard Brent Harder (Monument, Colo.) found junior guard Jordan Gettings (Cohoes, N.Y.) on the left wing for a game-tying three with 15 seconds left. Cutri and Franklin each had solid looks on the final possession but could not convert as the game was decided in the extra period.

Jones finished the game with 19 points on 7-for-14 from the field. Sabatino had his best all-around game in his young career, with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a block, while Thompson ended with 11 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Smith was a monster inside, grabbing 12 rebounds to go along with eight points, and Cutri added eight points in limited action.

Stevens ended the game shooting 45.8 percent from the field (22-for-48) and hit three three-pointers (3-for-11). The Ducks were 11-of-19 from the foul line (57.9 percent).

Harder had a team-high 14 points for Fisher, while Gettings (12 points) and Wrap (10 points) each were in double figures.

Stevens will host Alfred University on Saturday at 4 p.m. in an Empire 8 battle at the Canavan Arena. For those unable to attend, the game will be webcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com.