Hoboken, NJ --- The Brooklyn College Men's Basketball team picked up a solid non-conference win on Sunday night, as the Bulldogs downed the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology, 82-67, at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, NJ. The victory marks the first collegiate win for first-year head coach Rich Micallef.

With the win, BC moves to an even 1-1 overall on the year, while Stevens, who was picked to finish second in the Empire 8 Conference preseason coaches' poll, drops to 0-1 to begin the season.

The Bulldogs had four starters score in double figures led by senior Valon Djombalic, who scored a team-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, to go with six rebounds. Junior Egzon Gjonbalaj finished the night with a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go along with six blocks and three assists. Junior Jamel Gist added 13 points going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, while classmate Lorenzo Williams chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.

Stevens' Otis Osman led all scorers with 20 points, going 7-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-5 from three and 4-for-5 from the line. Patrick Barron added 14 points, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and six rebounds, while Alex Lorenz chipped in with 13 points coming off the bench.

The first half saw five ties and 11 lead changes as both teams traded baskets and looked to take command of the game.

Following a three point play from Osman that put the Ducks ahead, 21-20, with five minutes left before the halftime break, the Bulldogs would close out the half on a 10-0 run to take a 30-21 lead into the locker room. Senior Steven Diaz helped spark the run with a pair of three-pointers.

Brooklyn's stingy defense, which held Stevens to just 21.4% (6-for-28) shooting from the field in the half, helped the Bulldogs earn the halftime advantage.

The Ducks' offense would pick up momentum in the second half, as the home team shot 48.7% (18-for-37) from the field in the final period; however, the Bulldogs would match Stevens' hot shooting hand going 16-for-32 (50.0%) from the field, as Brooklyn's lead would never be threatened. BC also took full advantage of the charity stripe as the visitors went 16-for-21 (76.2%) from the line to build on their halftime lead.

After a jumper from Chris Cosgrove opened the scoring for Stevens in the second half, Brooklyn would go on a 9-2 run to go up by 14, 39-25, with 18:01 left in the game. The Bulldogs would hold a double digit lead for the majority of the remainder of the game and eventually lead by as many as 18 en route to their 82-67 win.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 42.9% (27-for-63) from the field, including 30.8% (8-for-26) from three. The Bulldogs also shot 80.0% (20-for-25) from the free throw line.
Stevens shot 36.9% (24-for-65) from the field and 30.4% (7-for-23) from beyond the arc. The Ducks went 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the charity stripe.

The visitors held the slight rebounding edge, 42-40.

Brooklyn will be back in action this Wednesday, November 19th, as the Bulldogs will travel to Jersey City, NJ to take on the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University in another key early season non-conference match up. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm tip. Live stats will be available.