Virgil Gray scored a career-high 21 points against the Merchant Marine.

HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 11, 2006) – Freshman guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, N.J.) poured in a career-high 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the floor as the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team captured its second win in a row with a 73-53 victory over Skyline Conference rival U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Canavan Arena on Wednesday evening.  Gray connected on two of three shots from behind the arc and pulled down five rebounds as the Ducks improved to 7-5 on the season, including 2-1 in league play.  The Mariners dropped their second game in a row and lost for the fourth time in five games as they fell to 5-6 on the year (0-2 Skyline).

Freshman guard Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, Pa.), who was named the Skyline Rookie of the Week yesterday, drained five three-pointers and finished with 15 points off the bench for Stevens.  Senior guard Isaac Moore (Phoenix, Ariz.) was 3-for-3 from the field and made both of his free throws as he chipped in with eight points.

Trailing 37-20 at the half, the Merchant Marine scored the first six points after intermission to close to within 11 at the 18:26 mark.  Junior guard Brian Kelly (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) capped the burst with a three-pointer for the Mariners.  Stevens immediately responded with an 18-4 run in the span of 5:53 to put the game out of reach.  Gray scored eight straight points to start the spurt, and Palantino drained back-to-back three-pointers at the tail end as the Ducks’ lead ballooned to 25 points (55-30) with 11:37 remaining.

After a tightly-contested first nine minutes of the game, Stevens opened some breathing room as the Ducks embarked on a 16-6 run in the span of 4:58 to take a 29-16 lead.  Palantino keyed the spurt with a pair of shots from behind the arc.  Gray capped the burst with a lay-up as the Ducks built a 13-point cushion.

Following a basket by USMMA sophomore guard Jimmy Sanders (Katy, Texas), Stevens out-scored the Mariners 8-2 to end the half as the Ducks opened a 37-20 lead at intermission.  Sophomore guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) and junior Stephen Peters (Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.) drained key three-pointers in the run.

The Merchant Marine was led by senior forward Zack Wyatte (Camp Hill, Pa.), who had 16 points and five rebounds.  Sanders finished with 12 points.

Stevens limited USMMA to 34.7 percent shooting from the floor in the game and forced 20 turnovers by the Mariners.  The Ducks also owned a big advantage on the boards as they out-rebounded the Merchant Marine 43-29.  Stevens’ dominance on the glass allowed the Ducks to attempt 17 more field goal than the Mariners.