KINGS POINT, N.Y. – Freshman guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y./Stuyvesant) scored 19 points as Stevens Institute of Technology earned an 80-75 victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Wednesday night in a Skyline Conference men’s basketball game at Liebertz Gymnasium.
Stevens (5-7, 2-1 Skyline) never trailed in the second half. The Ducks held off a late charge by Kings Point (6-6, 1-1 Skyline).
After Kings Point tied the game at 41-41 with 15:17 left in the second half on a conventional three-point play by Zach Wyatte, Stevens used a 12-5 run in a span of 3:16 to open up a seven-point advantage. Junior guard Isaac Moore (Phoenix, Ariz./Moon Valley) scored the first five points to ignite the Ducks. Stevens led by as many as 10 points, 64-54, following a 3-pointer by junior guard Jimmy Dominkiewicz (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) with 7:06 left.
Kings Point twice closed to within two points in the final three minutes, but Stevens answered on each occasion. After Josh Buck (22 points) sank a pair of free throws to pull the Mariners within 71-69 with 2:09 left, Moore buried a 3-pointer with 1:37 left to increase the lead to five. A 3-pointer by Joe Hart brought Kings Point within 77-75 with 23 seconds left. Junior guard Floyd Morris (East Windsor, N.J./Peddie School) made the first of two free throws to increase the Stevens margin to three – 78-75. Kings Point had an opportunity to tie, but Jimmy Sanders missed a 3-pointer with eight seconds left and Farid grabbed the defensive rebound and fed Moore for a fast-break layup to seal the win.
Moore added 17 points and a team-high five assists. Freshman forward Joseph Ayodele (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos de Niza) also finished in double figures with 10 points. Morris added nine while freshman forward Kevin Riley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) added a season-high seven points off the bench.
Neither team led by more than six points in a first half that featured five ties. Stevens trailed 20-17 with 8:26 left in the half, but used a 9-0 run over the next 2:28 to take a 26-20 lead. The Ducks never trailed the rest of the way. Kings Point, which trailed 31-30 at halftime, pulled even twice early in the second half, but never reclaimed the lead.
Stevens is back in action on Saturday, January 15, when it hosts Centenary College in a Skyline Conference game beginning at 4 p.m.
