GALLOWAY, N.J. (March 3, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell to Mount Saint Mary College, 81-71, in an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Championship semifinal on Saturday night at Richard Stockton College. The Ducks fall to 20-8 with the loss, while the Knights move to 22-7. They advance to Sunday's ECAC Metro title game against third-seeded Brooklyn College who downed Stockton in the other semifinal. Stevens was led by 24 points from junior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.).
The first 10 minutes of the game saw neither team get much of an upper hand with the top-seeded Ducks' largest lead being three and the fourth-seeded Knights being two.
With the Ducks up 20-17 following a made jumper from sophomore guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.), Mount St. Mary went on the game's first real run, outscoring the Ducks 9-0 over a span of 1:59 to open a 26-20 lead with 7:31 left in the first half. Junior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) answered with a three-ball for the Ducks, and sophomore guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) followed with a steal and layup to bring the Ducks within one less than a minute later. Stevens tied the game at 31-all thanks to a layup from senior forward Simon Smith (Cranford, N.J.) but the Knights scored eight of the first half's final 12 points to take a 39-35 lead into intermission.
Stevens shot 47 percent (16-for-34) from the field and went 3-for-9 from long range. The Ducks missed on their only two free-throw attempts and ended the half with a 7-4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Mount St. Mary shot 44 percent (15-for-34) and hit four of its 11 attempts from long range. The Knights went 5-for-5 from the line.
Mount St. Mary quickly pushed its lead to eight after an inside bucket from senior forward Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.), but the Ducks responded with a 5-0 spurt to trim the lead to three (43-40) with 17:33 left.
Stevens eventually was able to regain the lead at 49-48 and again at 51-50, but the Knights made plays and eventually pulled away. With the game tied at 53-all with 12 minutes to go, Mount went on a 12-4 run to open up an eight-point lead behind six points from junior guard Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.). When the Ducks fought back within three (65-62), the Knights countered by running off eight-straight points to take a 73-62 advantage with 2:58 on the clock, all but putting the game out of reach.
Twice the Ducks were able to get within seven points, but they could get no closer, falling by an 81-71 final. Jones' 24 points came on 9-for-17 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds and handed out three assists. Smith finished with 20 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Michael Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) had 11 points.
The Knights were led by senior forward Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) who scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) finished with 17 points, while Ragaglia, sophomore guard Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Milella all finished in double figures.
Mount St. Mary shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the field and 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from long range. The Knights converted on 15 of their 16 attempts at the line and finished with 15 assists (16 turnovers). They also ended with a 37-25 edge on the glass.
Stevens finished shooting 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field and 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) from long range. The Ducks were 11-for-15 at the line and had 13 assists (12 turnovers).
Last year, the Ducks downed Mount Saint Mary College in the semifinals of the ECAC Metro Championship in Hoboken. Stevens has won 20 games the last two seasons, combining for an overall record of 42-15. The program has four 20-win campaigns in its 96-year history.
Sunday's final between the Knights and Brooklyn is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off.