HOBOKEN, N.J. – Sophomore guard Jimmy Dominkewicz (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) scored a game-high 24 points as Stevens Institute of Technology defeated Manhattanville College, 66-61 in overtime on Saturday in a Skyline Conference men’s basketball game at the Canavan Arena.
Stevens (7-17, 6-8 Skyline) has won four straight games. Manhattanville drops to 15-8 overall and 9-4 in the conference.
Stevens scored the first four points in overtime as Dominkewicz had a steal and a layup in the opening seconds. After getting fouled on the drive, he missed the ensuing free throw, but sophomore Michael Collins (Bronx, N.Y./Trinity Pawling) grabbed the offensive rebound. Dominkewicz was then fouled in the paint and made both free throws to give the Ducks a 57-53 lead with 4:39 left in the extra period.
Manhattanville trimmed the lead to two points on a layup by senior Farid Johnson on the next trip, but sophomore Adam Cirnigliaro (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) answered with a 3-pointer for Stevens to push the lead up to 60-55 with 4:12 left. The Valiants closed to within three points on three occasions, but the Ducks answered each time. Sophomore Eric Harris made two free throws with 41 seconds remaining to pull Manhattanville within 64-61, but Dominkewicz made two free throws with nine seconds left to seal the win.
Stevens led nearly the entire way. The Ducks held a 31-25 halftime lead and increased the margin to as many as 13 points on three occasions in the second half. Freshman forward Tim Williams (Selden, N.Y./Newfield) put Stevens ahead 44-31 on a putback with 13:26 left. Manhattanville used a 15-3 run over the next eight minutes to pull within one. Senior forward John Danielski, who finished with 18 points and 30 rebounds, scored eight points during that stretch. Sophomore guard Dan DiMartino cut the Ducks’ lead to 47-46 on a driving layup with 5:33 left.
Two baskets by Dominkewicz pushed the Stevens lead back up to five, 51-46, with 4:50 left, but Manhattanville scored six straight points to take its first lead of the game. Danielski made two free throws with 1:29 left to give the Valiants a 52-51 lead. Cirnigliaro, who finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, hit a short jumper off a rebound to put Stevens back in front, 53-52, with 1:10 remaining. The teams traded possessions and Manhattanville got the ball back and called timeout with 22 seconds left. Trailing by one point, the Valiants worked the ball down to Johnson on the block. Johnson missed a short jumper, Danielski grabbed the rebound and missed the putback, but grabbed his own rebound and was fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining. He made the first free throw to tie the game, but missed the second following a Stevens timeout, sending the game into overtime.
Stevens had three players in double figures. Dominkewicz and Cirnigliaro were joined by Collins who had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Johnson finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots for Manhattanville.
During a halftime ceremony, Stevens retired the number 3 jersey of its all-time leading scorer Dan Bronstein. Bronstein, who played from 1982 to 1986, scored 1,465 points in his Stevens career. Inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996, Bronstein holds a number of single-season and career records. He was the Independent Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a a senior in 1985-86.
Stevens closes out its regular season on Monday, February 16, with an 8 p.m. Skyline Conference game against Yeshiva. The Ducks open play in the Skyline Tournament on Monday, February 23.
