Sophomore forward Tim Williams posted career-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds as Stevens outlasted Centenary. |
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - Sophomore forward Tim Williams (Selden, N.Y./Newfield) came up big when the Stevens men's basketball team needed a big lift.
Williams recorded career-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds as Stevens Institute of Technology closed out its regular season with a 77-72 win over Centenary College on Saturday afternoon at the Reeves Center.
Stevens ended the regular season at 13-12 overall and 9-6 in Skyline Conference play. The Ducks are also assured of at least a .500 season - their first since going 10-10 in 1996-97. The 13 wins are also tied for the third-highest single-season total in school history. Centenary ends the regular season at 0-24 overall and 0-15 in the conference. Both teams open play in the Skyline Conference tournament next week.
Stevens, which shot just 28.6 percent in the first half, trailed the winless Cyclones by as many as 13 points, 24-11, with 8:47 left in the opening period. The Ducks scored the final three points of the half to whittle the Centenary lead down to 36-30 at halftime.
After climbing back within four points, 38-34, on a layup by senior forward Dan Jordan (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) with 18:46 left, Stevens watch Centenary go on a 12-1 run in a span of just over three minutes. A layup by Stephen McNamara with 15:39 to play gave the Cyclones their largest lead of the game, 50-35.
Trailing 54-44 with 12:05 left, Stevens mounted a 12-1 run of its own, taking a 56-55 lead with 9:09 left on a layup by Williams. Williams and junior guard Jimmy Dominkewicz (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) had six points each during the three-minute spurt.
Neither team led by more than four points in the final nine minutes. Centenary senior Bryan Sherlock connected on a pair of free throws with 1:04 remaining to tie the game at 71-71. Stevens answered on its next possession and took the lead for good, 73-71 on a layup by sophomore forward Kevin Riley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xavier) with 31 seconds left.
Centenary had an opportunity to tie on its next possession, but George Opoku made only one of two free throws. Junior guards Ryan Kander (Belle Harbor, N.Y./Xaverian) and Isaac Moore (Phoenix, Ariz./Moon Valley) sealed the win by making two free throws apiece.
Riley recorded a season-high in points for the second straight game, finishing with 14. He also matched his season-high with eight rebounds. Dominkewicz also finished in double figures with 10.
Centenary shot 44.6 percent and also held a 45-37 rebounding advantage, but the Cyclones committed 24 turnovers, compared to just 13 for Stevens. Four Centenary starters also fouled out.
