HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 13, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team outscored Utica College 53-32 in the second half en route to a 95-76 win Friday night at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Five Ducks were in double figures as Stevens improved to 11-2 overall and 3-0 in the Empire 8. The Ducks will host Ithaca College on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a matchup of the conferences only remaining unbeatens.
The opening 20 minutes was a back-and-forth affair with each team taking control for large portions of the half. Stevens jumped out to a 19-6 edge five minutes behind in strong shooting from three-point range by senior guard Michael Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) who buried a trio of triples.
Utica came roaring back with a 15-2 run of their own to tie the score at 21-all and the two teams went bucket-for-bucket the rest of the way.
The Pioneers were able to eventually take a two-point lead into the locker room thanks to a fade away three from the corner by junior guard Matt Baldwin (Gloversville, N.Y.).
In the second, the Ducks came out and played an excellent half on both ends of the floor. After falling behind by four the Ducks used a three from junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) and a layup from senior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) to regain the lead.
The Stevens advantage hovered around five for the next three minutes before the Ducks erupted on an 18-5 run over a span of 6:25 to turn a 57-52 edge into a 75-57 lead with 8:12 remaining. Sophomore forward Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) was key, scoring nine points on 4-for-5 shooting.
Utica trimmed the lead to 13 on several occasions but never threatened as the Ducks cruised to the 95-76 win. Stevens dominated the boards in the second, ending the period plus-16 (34-18) and the game plus-11. Stevens assisted on 21 of its 34 made baskets with six players recording more than one helper. The 95 points is the third most for the Ducks this season and the fourth time they have eclipsed 90.
Junior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) led the Ducks with a game-high 21 points but the contributions came from all over. Cutri finished with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Smith was a beast underneath with 17 points, 18 rebounds, four helpers and two steals. Skrelja played a marvelous all-around game, scoring 11, pulling downing eight rebounds, dishing out four assists and tallying a game-high four steals. The 11 points was a career-high for the sophomore. Meszaros also was solid, finishing with 11 points, three boards, a helper and a theft. He shot 5-for-6 from the field.
As a team, the Ducks shot 50 percent for the game (34-for-68) and 45 percent from three-point range (9-for-20). The Ducks canned 18 of their 25 attempts on the line. As a team they recorded 15 steals and two blocks along with 21 assists and 19 turnovers.
The Pioneers were led by Baldwin with 15 points. They shot 41.4 percent (29-for-70) from the field and 25 percent (6-for-24) from three. They were 12-for-24 from the line.
Saturday's matchup with Ithaca is slated to tip-off at 4 p.m. The Bombers are coming off a win over defending conference champion Hartwick College and swept the Ducks in 2010-11. All the action will be broadcast live at www.Empire8.tv.