HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 19, 2013) – Senior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) scored his 1,000th career point as the 24th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team improved to 14-1 with an 80-49 rout of Houghton College Saturday evening.

The Ducks have now won eight-straight games dating back to January 4 and sit atop the Empire 8 standings at 5-0. Ithaca College is 6-1 and in second place.

In this one, the Ducks raced out to a 10-3 lead behind six points from sophomore forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.), but the Highlanders answered the Ducks' first run with four-straight points of their own. However, from that point on, the Ducks dominated the rest of the first half, outscoring Houghton 34-11 over the final 15:13. A three-pointer from junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) gave Stevens its first-double-digit margin of the game and the Ducks rolled from there, taking a 44-18 lead into the break.

The Stevens defense was suffocating, holding Houghton to 21.7 percent shooting. The Ducks shot 16-for-30 from the field (53.3 percent), 40 percent (4-for-10) from three and 8-for-10 at the line.

In the second half, it was much of the same as the lead swelled to 31 following a Thompson triple. Moments later, junior guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) split two defenders and passed out to Thompson on the left wing for another three-pointer, this one giving him points 998, 999 and 1,000 for his career. Head Coach Bobby Hurley (Nutley, N.J.) called timeout after the make, giving the crowd a chance to honor the veteran guard.

Houghton (0-16) cut the Stevens lead to 21 midway through the half, but the Highlanders were unable to make any sort of run and the Ducks cruised to the win.

Fifteen different players made it into the points column for Stevens, with Thompson pouring in a game-high 15 in 22 minutes. He also added three assists and four rebounds to his line as sophomore forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) tallied 12 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots. Freshman guard Evan Klimchak (Readington, N.J.) scored 10 points, grabbed a pair of rebounds and tallied one assist and one steal to lead Stevens off the bench, with Sabatino notching nine points, three boards, a block and a steal. Skrelja finished with five points, eight rebounds, five helpers and three steals, while senior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) had five points, four rebounds and two assists. Meszaros had two points and four boards, while freshman forward Logan McDonald (Lacey Township, N.J.) and freshman guard Kevin Zychowski (Mendham, N.J.) each had five points. McDonald  added three boards and a block to his line as well.

Stevens shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from deep. The Ducks were 19-for-24 at the line and ended with a big 46-30 edge on the glass. Stevens had 17 assists and just 12 turnovers along with five blocks and eight steals.

Senior guard Chris Confair (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) had 15 points to lead Houghton. The Highlanders shot 29.6 percent (16-for-54) from the field, 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) from three and 11-for-21 at the line.

Stevens will return to action Tuesday night when it visits Hartwick College at 8 p.m. in another key Empire 8 game. All the action can be seen live at www.Empire8.TV.

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