HOBOKEN, N.J. – Senior forward Jon Almonte (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) scored 22 points and senior forward Eric Stanley (New York, N.Y./Solebury Prep) added 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead Stevens Institute of Technology to an 84-73 win over the College of Mount St. Vincent on Monday in a Skyline Conference game at the Canavan Arena.
Stevens, which has won two of its last three, improves to 2-13 overall and 2-6 in the conference. Mount St. Vincent falls to 6-7 and 2-6.
Stevens never trailed in the game. Mount St. Vincent rallied from an early deficit to tie the game at 11-11 on a baseline jumper by senior guard Mike Celestin with 11:30 left in the first half. But the Ducks used a 13-0 run in a span of 3:45 to take control. Sophomore guard Pat McCann (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) connected on a 3-pointer with 10:07 left in the half to give Stevens the lead for good. Almonte scored five of the next seven before freshman guard Ryan Lynch (Medford, N.J./St. Joseph’s Prep) capped the run with a 3-pointer at the 7:45 mark, giving Stevens a 24-11 lead.. The Ducks maintained a 39-28 lead at halftime.
Lynch buried another trey with 16:16 left in the second half to give Stevens its largest lead of the night, 49-33. Mount St. Vincent put together a 16-4 run in a span of 4:08 to slice the Ducks’ lead to four points. Celestin led the comeback with seven points. His short baseline jumper with 12:08 left pulled the Dolphins to within 53-49.
Stevens answered back by scoring five straight points and 14 of the next 17 to push the lead safely into double digits. Freshman guard Ryan Kander (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Xaverian) drained a big 3-pointer and then scored on a fast-break layup to give the Ducks a 58-49 lead.
Stevens put the game away at the free-throw line, scoring 18 of its final 20 points from the stripe in the last eight minutes. For the game, the Ducks shot 76.9 percent from the line, going 30-for-39.
In addition Almonte and Stanley, freshman guard Floyd Morris (East Windsor, N.J./Peddie School) and junior forward Jordan Clark (Hopewell, Ohio/West Muskingum) also finished in double figures with 13 and 10 points respectively. Sophomore forward Dan Jordan (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant) pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds.
The Stevens men’s basketball team returns to action on Saturday, January 25, when it hosts New York Maritime in a 1 p.m. game at the Canavan Arena.
