ALBANY, N.Y. (December 1, 2018)  – Senior Kevin Florio scored a career-high 22 points and classmate Ryan Coffey went 4-for-4 from the line down the stretch as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team held off The Sage Colleges, 74-64, Saturday in an Empire 8 Conference game at Kahl Gym.

Coffey finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds and sophomore Alec DiPietrantonio pulled down 16 rebounds for the second straight game for the Ducks, who improved to 5-2 on the year. 

Isaiah Scurry came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points to lead Sage, who fell to 2-4. The Gators have alternated wins and losses over their last five games. Stevens has taken all three meetings between the teams since Sage joined the Empire 8 with the 2017-18 season.

Senior Frank Amari added 10 points and junior Michael Zignorski came off the bench with 11 as the Ducks had four players reach double figures. Florio shot 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from behind the arc to surpass the 20-point mark for the first time in his career. Florio's previous career best of 19 came last season against Rutgers-Newark. 

Pivotal Point

• After trailing for an eight-minute stretch of the second half, Stevens rallied to tie the game at 58 on a Dylan Walsh layup with 6:39 left on the clock.
• Stevens went back in front on a lengthy Zignorski three.
• Chris Kidd was charged with an offensive foul and then fouled Walsh 17 seconds later.
• Walsh sank one of two from the line to give the Ducks a four-point advantage.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens rebounded from its lowest shooting percentage of the season against Staten Island to shoot .418, including a 44-percent mark in the second half. The Gators shot 36 percent from the field.
• The Ducks made nine threes on the afternoon, matching a season high. Florio drained four threes as Stevens shot 9-of-19 from behind the arc, including 5-of-10 in the first half. Conversely, the Gators shot just 22.2 percent on their three-point attempts, making three in each half.
• Senior Frank Amari handed out a career-high eight assists. It's the most by any Duck in a game since alumnus Evan Klimchak also handed out eight against Brooklyn College on December 3, 2016.
• DiPietrantonio's efforts on the glass helped Stevens gain a 48-38 advantage in rebounding. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native pulled down six offensive rebounds for the second straight game. If he maintains his current pace, the sophomore center will finish with the fourth-highest single-season total in program history.
• The Ducks turned 18 Sage turnovers into 19 points to hold an edge in points off turnovers. 
• Sage held the edge in fast break points, second-chance points, points in the paint and bench points.
• DiPietrantonio blocked three shots for the second straight game. Walsh recorded Stevens' other rejection. Sage only had one block.
• Amari and Frane Larose each nabbed a pair of steals. The Ducks totaled seven steals on the afternoon.
• Coffey has scored at least eight points in every game this season and has pulled down at least six rebounds on six different occasions.
• Stevens has won three straight Empire 8 openers.

Unsung Heroes

• Zignorski came off the bench to score in double figures for the third time this season. 

From the Court

• "Great conference road win today. We defended really well for most of the game, but need to become more consistent on both ends of the floor for 40 minutes. Sage presents a tough matchup for us, but I was pleased how we battled down the stretch to secure the win." - head coach Bobby Hurley

Up Next

• Stevens returns to non-conference play by welcoming Brooklyn College to Canavan Arena on Dec. 4.
• The Ducks have won each of the last two meetings with the Bulldogs.
• Live stats and video links are available on StevensDucks.com.

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