HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 14, 2012) – Senior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) tallied his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 20 rebounds to help lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a key Empire 8 win over Ithaca College on Saturday in Canavan Arena. The Ducks outscored the Bombers 47-21 in the second half en route to the 82-61 win and improve to 4-0 in the conference and 12-2 overall.
The opening five minutes saw each side score 10 points and with 11:38 to go in the first, the score was tied at 16-all. The Bombers were able to take a brief five-point edge at the midway mark of the first, but the Ducks answered with a 10-1 run over a span of 1:53 to open a 26-22 lead with 7:51 to play. Sophomore guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) and junior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) each hit three's in the run for the Ducks.
Ithaca answered with an explosive 17-4 run of their own to open up a 39-30 margin of their own, nailing three three-pointers.
Stevens battled back to cut the Ithaca lead to five at the end of one as the two teams went to the locker room with the scoreboard showing 40-35, Bombers.
In what turned out to be a tail of two halves, the Ducks came out and throttled the Ithaca offense, contesting every shot and battling for each rebound. They came out with five-straight points to tie the game at 40 and the two teams went basket-for-basket over the next few minutes before the Stevens offense erupted.
Tied at 48 with 15:43 to go, the Ducks went on a 16-1 run over a span of 5:13 to essentially put the game away. Things started with a layup from Smith and a jumper from junior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.). A jones steal led to a three-ball from senior guard Michael Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) and the Ducks were off. Sophomore forward Max Schwartz (Bridgewater, N.J.) capped the run with a layup following a Bomber turnover and Ithaca would never get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Cutri free throws with five minutes remaining gave Stevens its first 20-point lead of the night as the margin crept up to 23 twice before the game ended.
In the second, the Ducks scored 19 second-chance points and forced 10 Ithaca turnovers. They had five steals and three blocks and eight players scored points.
Smith led the Ducks with his 20 rebounds and 16 points. Jones finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, three helpers and three steals, while Thompson had 12 points on four three-pointers and three assists. Sophomore guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) had another excellent game for Stevens, ending with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Cutri added 13 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals, with sophomore forward Kevin McManamy (Charlotte, N.C.) tallying seven points and pulling down two rebounds.
The Ducks ended with a dominant 52-26 rebounding advantage and had 10 steals. They shot 44.6 percent from the field (29-for-65) and 34.8 percent from three (8-for-23). Stevens went 16-for-22 from the line.
Ithaca shot 29.6 percent in the second half and 38.9 percent for the game (21-for-54). The Bombers (3-1 Empire 8, 6-9 overall) were led by sophomore Frank Mitchell (Hillsborough, N.J.) with 13 points and six rebounds.
Stevens will return to the hardwood on Friday at 8 p.m. when it hosts Nazareth College. All the action will be broadcast live at www.Empire8.tv.
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