HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 7, 2007) – Trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the 17th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team rallied for a hard-fought 62-59 win over Elmira College on Friday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Soaring Eagles' freshman guard Bobby DiPiazza (Ridgewood, N.J.) had a chance to tie the game but missed a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining and his team trailing by two points.
Senior forward Tim Williams was the lone Duck to score in double-figures as he amassed 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Williams also had seven rebounds as Stevens improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Empire 8. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins contributed nine points off the bench. Junior guard Michael Baker scored four points and pulled down six rebounds (four offensive) – all in the second half – to help fuel the comeback. He also had three steals and two assists in the game.
Ducks' junior guard Virgil Gray, who leads the team in scoring, attempted just six shots and finished with nine points to go along with six rebounds. Sophomore guard George Greco added eight points and five assists.
Elmira (1-6, 0-3 Empire 8) was led by DiPiazza, who had 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He made three three-pointers in the game. Sophomore forward/center Palen Andreozzi (Albany, N.Y.) tallied 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Soaring Eagles. Sophomore guard/forward David Nelson (Bainbridge, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 points and four assists.
Trailing 29-26 at the break, Stevens went on a quick 7-3 run over the first 4:20 of the second period to take its first lead of the contest at 33-32 when Greco made a lay-up in transition. A few minutes later, the Ducks used a 14-3 run over a five-minute stretch to turn a 37-36 deficit into a 50-40 advantage with 7:20 left on the clock. Baker had four points to spark the rally. Sophomore guard Damien Palantino added a big three-pointer from the wing.
Elmira would not go away though. With his team trailing 59-52 with less than two minutes to play, freshman guard/forward Noah Zazulia (Palm City, Fla.) knocked down a jumper. After a turnover by the Ducks, Andreozzi made a lay-up to draw the Soaring Eagles to within 59-56.
Senior guard Waleed Farid went 1-for-2 at the foul line with 27.4 seconds remaining. Andreozzi came right back down the floor and converted a three-point play to bring Elmira within 60-59 with 16.2 seconds left. Greco stepped to the line and made one of two attempts to extend the Ducks' lead to 61-59 with 13.1 seconds to play.
After DiPiazza was fouled on a drive to the basket, he missed the first of two free throws. Following a timeout by Elmira, DiPiazza missed the second shot on purpose, but Williams was able to corral the rebound for Stevens. Williams made one of two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining to provide the final margin. The Soaring Eagles' desperation attempt to tie the game came up short as senior forward Joseph Ayodele intercepted a long pass down the court as time expired.
Elmira came out of the gates quickly as it built a 12-3 lead in the first 5:08 of the game. Sophomore guard Bryan Matthews (Horseheads, N.Y.) scored seven of his nine points during that stretch. The Soaring Eagles pushed their advantage to 19-8 when DiPiazza knocked down a three-pointer at the 10:23 mark.
Stevens responded with a 9-0 run over a two-minute stretch to climb to within 19-17 with 7:31 left in the period. Gray started the run with a jumper. Greco added a big three-point play to spark the Ducks. Elmira answered right back with six unanswered points to go on top 25-17 following a lay-up by DiPiazza with 5:37 remaining.
Training 29-21 with less than two minutes to go in the half, Stevens scored five straight points to pull with 29-26 at the break. The Ducks trailed by just three points at intermission despite committing 13 turnovers in the period.
Stevens will be back in action on Sunday when it hosts Ithaca College in the final game of the first semester. That game will be played at 4 p.m. The contest will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv. The Bombers are 4-1 on the year and 2-0 in the Empire 8.
