HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 2, 2007) – Facing five-time defending Empire 8 champion and 2007-08 preseason favorite St. John Fisher College for the first time as a conference opponent, the 21st-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team built a 23-point first-half lead and cruised to an 80-65 win over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Senior forward Tim Williams poured in 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and pulled down seven rebounds as the Ducks improved to 6-0 (2-0 Empire 8) on the year.
The loss dropped St. John Fisher to 1-3 (1-1 Empire 8) overall. In addition to winning five conference titles in a row, the Cardinals have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons.
Stevens wasted little time taking control of the game as the Ducks opened up a 17-7 lead in the first five minutes. Senior guard Waleed Farid, junior guard Anthony Passalacqua and sophomore guard George Greco all knocked down shots from behind the arc in the run.
St. John Fisher slowly climbed back into the contest and got to within nine points at 35-26 when sophomore guard Matt Newman (Campbell, N.Y.) scored on a lay-up with 5:41 remaining in the half. Stevens responded with a 16-2 spurt of the final 5:17 of the period to take a 51-28 lead into the locker room.
Williams got things started with a three-point play. Following two free throws by Greco, junior guard Virgil Gray stole the ball and streaked in for a breakaway dunk. Another lay-up by Passalacqua extended the Ducks' lead to 44-26. After Cardinals' sophomore guard/forward Chris Baltz (Vestal, N.Y.) stopped the 9-0 run with a jumper, Stevens scored the final seven points of the half.
Farid started things off with a basket inside. Greco followed with a three-pointer from the wing. Williams ended the half with a basket off the glass with one second remaining following a nice feed inside by sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins.
In the first half, the Ducks shot 57.6 percent (19-for-33) from the floor. Stevens knocked down 7-of-14 attempts (50.0 percent) from behind the arc. St. John Fisher was held to 34.5 percent (10-for-29) shooting in the period.
Passalacqua opened the second half with a three-point basket on the first possession as Stevens extended its lead to 26 points. The Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run and closed to within 54-37 on a lay-up by sophomore forward/center Dan Evans (Auburn, N.Y.) with 16:28 left on the clock.
Greco halted the St. John Fisher rally with a long three-pointer that jumpstarted a 10-2 run as Stevens pushed the lead back up to 25 points (64-39) with 14:30 remaining. The Ducks were never really threatened after that point as they maintained a 21-point advantage (80-59) with less than a minute to go.
Gray had a solid all-around game for Stevens as he finished with 14 points, five assists, four steals and two rebounds. Greco totaled 13 points and three assists. He shot 4-for-6 from the field and knocked down three three-pointers. Passalacqua finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. He also made three shots from downtown. Farid added nine points and eight rebounds. Higgins chipped in with seven points and five rebounds. Junior guard Michael Baker added five points and five rebounds in the win.
St. John Fisher was led by freshman guard Ozell Franklin (Henrietta, N.Y.), who had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench. Newman added 18 points, five rebounds and two assists in the loss.
For the game, Stevens shot 48.3 percent (29-for-60) from the field. The Cardinals connected on 21-of-54 field-goal attempts (38.9 percent). The Ducks' starting lineup amassed 65 points and matched the scoring output from the entire Cardinals' roster.
Stevens will return to action on Friday when it continues a four-game home stand against Elmira College at 8 p.m. That contest will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv.
