HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 10, 2011)  – Senior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 75-64 victory. Smith also grabbed 17 rebounds to notch his eighth double-double in nine games as the Ducks improved to 7-2 with the win. Junior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) and sophomore guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.)  joined smith in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Stevens shot well throughout, going 28-for-55 (50.9 percent) from the field and 14-for-20 (70 percent) at the charity stripe. The Ducks hit five of their 17 attempts from three-point land.

Smith was a monster all afternoon. The senior co-captain converted 11-of-15 from the floor and 7-of-9 at the line. He had 13 defensive rebounds, four offensive, and also added one steal in 37 minutes of action.

Stevens jumped on top 7-2 early, but the Cougars (2-6, 1-1 NJAC) answered by taking a 13-12 advantage 6:31 into the game. From that point, the Ducks went on the first real run of the game, outscoring the Cougars 14-2 over a span of 3:30 to open a 26-15 lead with 8:40 left in the first. Meszaros had seven points in the run along with an assist.

Stevens extended the margin to 33-20 with less than five minutes remaining in the half, but the Cougars fought back, outscoring the Ducks 14-5 to end the period and headed into the break with the score at 38-34.

The Stevens lead hovered around five in the second half's opening minutes, before a quick 7-0 spurt keyed by a Meszaros three extended the Stevens edge to 12 (55-43) with 11:45 to play.

Again, Kean battled back, trimming the lead to five with 5:13 left, but the Ducks responded with two-straight baskets from freshman Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) to push the margin back to nine. A three from junior guard Branly Cadet (Elizabeth, N.J.) brought the Cougars within six but that was as close as they would get. A jumper from Jones, a defensive stop, and a layup from Smith pushed the lead back to 10, and the Ducks cruised over the final minute-plus to the 75-64 win.

Jones scored his 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting and 4-for-6 at the line. He also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out two assists. Meszaros gave the Ducks excellent minutes off the bench,  going 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from long range. He had three assists as well as two rebounds. Senior guard Mike Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) added eight points, three boards, three steals and two assists, while junior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) had six points, a game-high eight assists and two rebounds.

Kean was led by the 22 points and nine rebounds of sophomore forward Kyle Latorre (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.). Senior forward Leigh Keenan (Bethlehem, Pa.) and senior guard Andrew Kirrey (Millville, N.J.) each scored 20 points.

Stevens ended with a 40-31 margin on the glass and assisted on 19 of their 28 made baskets. The Ducks had 11 steals and 15 turnovers, with the Cougars notching 10 thefts and 12 turnovers.

Stevens will head into its winter break before returning to game action on January 2, 2012 when it hosts Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 7 p.m. All the action will be webcast live at www.Empire8.tv.