Floyd Morris totaled 10 points and six assists in the second half alone as Stevens out-scored Staten Island 55-35. |
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (January 8, 2007) – For the second game in a row, the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team used a huge second-half effort to blow open a close game at halftime en route to a 95-77 victory over the College of Staten Island on Monday at the Sports and Recreation Center in Staten Island, N.Y. The Ducks have now won five straight games to run their record to 8-3 on the year.
After trailing 42-40 at the half, Stevens took the lead for good on a lay-up by senior forward Michael Collins (Bronx, N.Y.) with 18:47 to play in the game. The basket by Collins gave the Ducks a 45-44 lead at the time. Leading by two points with just over 17 minutes to go, Stevens scored seven unanswered points in the span of 2:37 to go on top 56-47. Sophomore guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, N.J.) scored four points in the run, and sophomore guard Anthony Passalacqua (Staten Island, N.Y.) added a big three-pointer as the Ducks grabbed a nine-point cushion with 15:16 left on the clock.
Stevens put the game away with a 12-0 burst in the span of 2:07 later in the period. With the Ducks leading 71-62 with less than seven minutes to go, junior forward Joseph Ayodele (Tempe, Ariz.) scored inside. Following two free throws by senior guard Floyd Morris (East Windsor, N.J.), junior guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) scored on a lay-up off a pass by Morris with 5:17 to go in the game.
Farid was fouled on the play and made his free throw to convert the three-point play. Farid also made two additional free throws as junior guard Robert Mesjasz (Staten Island, N.Y.) was assessed a technical foul. Stevens retained possession following the technical, and Gray made the Dolphins pay as he drained a three-pointer. In all, the Ducks scored eight points in a 33-second stretch without Staten Island touching the ball.
Gray finished with 24 points and four rebounds. He was 7-for-13 from the field, 2-for-4 from downtown and 8-for-10 from the foul line. Farid totaled 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. He was 6-for-11 from the floor and made all seven free throws that he attempted. Passalacqua made six of nine field-goal attempts in the game and was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range for 15 points. Morris excelled in the second half. In fact, he amassed all 10 of his points and all six of his assists after the break. Morris added three steals and knocked down five of six free throws in the contest.
The Ducks also received a solid effort off the bench from freshman guard Matt Higgins (Freehold, N.J.), who had nine points, six rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Freshman guard George Greco (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) chipped in with seven points and three steals.
Staten Island (6-7) was led by Mesjasz, who had 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Senior guard Mike Jones (Washington, N.J.) added 15 points as the Dolphins suffered their second straight loss. All five starters scored in double-figures for CSI.
Stevens, which out-scored Staten Island 55-35 in the second half, shot 62.5 percent (15 of 24) from the field after intermission. The Ducks made 29 of 53 field-goal attempts (54.7 percent) in the game. Stevens also owned a 34-26 advantage on the boards.
Coming up on Wednesday, the Ducks will host St. Joseph’s College in an important Skyline Conference game at 8 p.m. Fans that can not attend the game will be able to watch it as a live video webcast at www.duckcast.com.
