Damien Palantino nailed five three-pointers in the Ducks' 86-73 win over the Dolphins.

RIVERDALE, N.Y. (February 4, 2006) – After trailing by as many as 15 points midway through the second half, the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team out-scored the College of Mount Saint Vincent 46-31 after intermission en route to a crucial 86-73 victory over the Dolphins on Saturday afternoon in Riverdale, N.Y.  The win snapped a two-game losing streak as the Ducks improved to 11-9 (6-4 Skyline Conference) on the year.  Mount Saint Vincent, which had won three games in a row, fell to 9-12 (5-7) with the loss.

Leading 53-52 nearly seven minutes into the second half, Stevens put together a 13-3 run in the span of 3:18 to open a 66-55 advantage with 10:15 to play.  Senior guard Isaac Moore (Phoenix, Ariz.) and freshman guard Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, Pa.) tallied five points apiece in the Ducks’ burst.

Mount Saint Vincent responded immediately by scoring the next seven points to close to within 66-62 with 6:33 remaining.  Senior guard Charles Hernandez (Bronx, N.Y.) collected five points in the run for the Dolphins.

The Ducks would not be denied though as Palantino knocked down a three-pointer to trigger a 10-2 run that put the game out of reach.  After Palantino’s three-pointer, junior guard Stephen Peters (Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.) nailed back-to-back baskets for Stevens.  Palantino capped the decisive run with another shot from downtown as the Ducks opened a 76-64 lead with 3:25 remaining.  Mount Saint Vincent got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Five players scored in double-figures for the Ducks.  Palantino led the way with 17 points and four assists.  He connected on six of 10 shots from the field and was 5-for-9 from three-point range.  Junior guard Floyd Morris (East Windsor, N.J.) finished with 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds.  Morris was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.  Junior forward Michael Collins (Bronx, N.Y.) connected on four of five field-goal attempts for 10 points to go along with seven rebounds.  Moore was also 4-for-5 from the floor for 10 points and five rebounds.  Sophomore guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.

Mount Saint Vincent had four players score in double-figures.  Hernandez posted his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  He also had five assists in the game.  Senior forward Greg Casey (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) added 16 points and six rebounds.  Casey made seven of 14 shots for the Dolphins.  Mount Saint Vincent leading scorer James Mooney (Bronx, N.Y.) added 15 points.  Mooney, a senior guard, struggled from downtown as he finished 2-for-13 from behind the arc.  Sophomore forward Corey Petrucelli (Stratford, Conn.) tallied 12 points but went scoreless in the second half as the Dolphins shot a dismal 25 percent (8-for-32) after intermission.  The Ducks, on the other hand, made 17 of 33 shots (51.5 percent) in the second period.

Mount Saint Vincent stormed out of the gates with a 13-1 run in the opening 4:09.  Following a free throw by junior forward Tim Williams (Selden, N.Y.), the Dolphins scored the next 13 points as Stevens missed its first eight field-goal attempts and turned the ball over three times.  Mount Saint Vincent made six of its first 10 shots as the Dolphins built an early 12-point advantage.  The Ducks temporarily halted the run as Palantino knocked down a three-pointer (which was the Ducks’ first field goal of the game) with 14:52 remaining in the half.

Stevens, which trailed by as many as 15 points (25-10) following a jumper by Petrucelli with 11:24 to go in the half, found itself down 31-18 with less than eight minutes remaining before halftime.  The Ducks were able to get back into the game with an 11-0 run in the span of 2:55.  Farid scored the final four points of the burst for Stevens as the Ducks cut the Dolphins’ lead to 31-29 with five minutes to play in the period.

Trailing 42-35 in the final minute of the half, Stevens scored five straight points as freshman guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, N.J.) scored on a lay-up and Palantino drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Ducks headed into the locker room down by two (42-40).

Stevens did a fine job defensively in the second half on Mooney and Casey.  After scoring 11 points apiece in the first half, they combined for only nine points after intermission.

The Ducks will be back in action on Wednesday, February 8 when they take on conference-leading Farmingdale State University.  Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Farmingdale, N.Y.