HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 18, 2013) – The 24th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team overcame a shaky first half, defeating Empire 8 rival Nazareth College 74-64 Friday night in the Canavan Arena in front of a crowd of more than 500 spectators.
Trailing 24-23 after one half of play, the Ducks outscored the Golden Flyers 51-40 over the final 20 minutes to improve to 13-1 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8. Senior guards Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) and Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) scored 21 points apiece to pace the scoring, while sophomore forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and rejected three shots.
Both teams struggled mightily from the field in the first half as the Ducks were 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) and Naz was 10-for-28 (35.7 percent). Neither team was able to take any large advantage with the Ducks leading by no more than four points and Nazareth (11-5, 5-2 Empire 8) leading by no more than three as the first period saw four ties and six lead changes.
The Ducks scored the first four points of the second half to open a 27-24 margin after a steal from junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) and fast-break layup from Thompson. The Golden Flyers came right back, tallying five-straight points to retake the lead a 29-27 with 17:19 remaining.
The two squads went back-and-forth over the next five minutes with the Ducks holding a 42-40 lead and 12:43 on the clock. From that point, Stevens went on a 13-2 run over a span of 3:05 to take a stranglehold of the game. Sophomore forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) started things with a three-point play, Thompson followed with a pull-up three-pointer and Sabatino buried a triple from the top of the key late in the shot clock to cap the run.
Nazareth cut a 13-point margin to nine with 8:23 to play behind a three-point play from freshman forward Maurice Mills (Utica, N.Y.) but a Jones jumper briefly quieted any hopes of a Nazareth uprising. The Golden Flyers sliced five more points out of the Stevens lead, making it a 57-51 game after a three-point play from senior guard Tyshun Stephens (Newark, N.Y.) with six minutes on the clock but Jones again hit a short jumper and Skrelja converted a put-back to quickly push the Stevens margin back to double digits with 4:40 left.
Naz continued to battle, getting within six again at the 1:42 mark and five with 1:30 to go, and again it was Jones, coming up clutch for the Ducks to slow the momentum. This time with a three-point play courtesy of a feed from junior guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.).
On the ensuing Nazareth possession, junior forward Brad Ford (Victor, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to get the Golden Flyers back within five, but Stevens hit five of its last six at the line to seal the 10-point win.
The Ducks shot 19-for-28 (67.9 percent) in the second half and 47.5 percent for the game. Their defense held Naz to 39.3 percent from the field (22-for-56) and 8-for-23 from long range. Nazareth went 12-for-14 from the line, while Stevens was 11-for-18, but the Ducks held a 41-31 margin on the glass and had seven steals as a team.
Thompson finished with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, with Jones pouring in 21 and corralling five boards. Gan had eight points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and steal, with Sabatino scoring 16 points, notching three rebounds and one blocked shot. Skrelja finished with six points, five assists, five rebounds and a game-high four steals.
Ford had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to lead Nazareth, while Stephens added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Stevens will return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Houghton College. All the action can be seen live at www.Empire8.TV. Nazareth will visit Hartwick College Saturday at 2 p.m.
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