HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 30, 2007) – Junior guard Virgil Gray scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down six rebounds as the 21st-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team posted a 78-53 win over Alfred University in its first-ever Empire 8 contest on Friday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Gray added four assists and two steals as the Ducks improved to 5-0 on the year. The Saxons fell to 0-5 with the loss.
Stevens opened the game with a 9-0 run over the first two minutes. Gray led the way with four quick points out of the gate. Alfred responded with seven unanswered points and closed to within 9-7 on a three-pointer by senior guard Garlen Patt (Nelson, Pa.).
Leading 11-9, the Ducks rattled off a 10-0 run in the span of 2:37. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins tallied four points in the spurt. Senior guard Waleed Farid capped the burst with a lay-up to put Stevens on top 21-9 with 12:23 remaining in the period.
Holding a 32-19 lead, the Ducks scored the final nine points of the half to carry a 41-19 advantage into the locker room. Senior forward Nate Williams sparked the rally with a one-handed dunk off a pass from Gray on a fast-break. Junior guard Anthony Passalacqua finished off the run with a three-pointer from the wing. Passalacqua drained a jumper from the elbow earlier in the spurt.
Stevens was never really threatened in the second half. After the Saxons closed to within 14 points at 50-36 on a lay-up by freshman forward Sean D'Auria (Highland Mills, N.Y.) with 13:14 remaining, the Ducks ripped off nine straight points. Senior forward Tim Williams had two baskets at the tail-end of the run as Stevens went on top 59-36 with 10:35 left on the clock. The closest Alfred got after that point was 15 points (64-49) in the closing minutes.
Farid finished with 12 points, six assists and five rebounds for Stevens. He shot 4-for-6 from the floor. Sophomore guard George Greco contributed 11 points. Williams knocked down 5-of-6 shots from the field and ended up with 11 points to go along with seven rebounds. Higgins had a solid game off the bench as he posted eight points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
Sophomore forward James Simmermeyer (East Norwich, N.Y.) led the Saxons with 19 points and eight rebounds. He was 7-for-14 from the field. Sophomore guard Jared Patt (Nelson, Pa.) added 16 points.
Stevens was able to claim the victory despite shooting 36.8 percent (14-for-38) from the foul line in the game. The Ducks connected on 29-of-66 field-goal attempts (43.9 percent) and held a 52-41 edge on the glass. Alfred shot 19-for-62 (30.6 percent) from the floor on the evening. The Saxons were 1-for-14 (7.1 percent) from downtown.
Coming up on Sunday, Stevens will host St. John Fisher College at 4 p.m. That contest will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv. The Cardinals have won five league titles in a row and are the preseason favorite to repeat according to the coaches' poll. St. John Fisher has reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.
