Joseph Ayodele had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against Mount Saint Vincent.

RIVERDALE, N.Y. (February 5, 2007) – Despite trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team maintained control of first place in the Skyline Conference with a hard-fought 91-76 victory over the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Monday in Riverdale, N.Y.  The Ducks, who have won nine straight and 15 of their last 16 games, improved to 18-4 (11-2 Skyline) on the year with the victory.

After falling behind by double-figures early in the game, Stevens trailed 41-37 at halftime.  The Ducks continued to play catch up early in the second half as they were down 54-45 with 14:47 remaining in the contest.  Tied at 63-all with just over seven minutes to go, Stevens rattled off a 16-3 run in the span of 2:16 to take a 79-66 lead with 5:20 left on the clock.  Junior forward Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) scored 12 points (including 10 straight at one point) in the spurt.

The Ducks, who out-scored the Dolphins 54-35 in the second half, were led by sophomore guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, N.J.).  Gray, who was named the Skyline Conference Co-Player of the Week earlier in the day, had 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the floor.  He added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Farid finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.  Sophomore guard Anthony Passalacqua (Staten Island, N.Y.) contributed 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.  Passalacqua made five of nine shots in the game.  Junior forward Joseph Ayodele (Tempe, Ariz.) was huge off the bench as he posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in 18 minutes.  Ayodele shot 6-for-9 from the floor.

Mount Saint Vincent (2-19, 1-12 Skyline) received 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals from junior guard/forward Derek Charlton (Yonkers, N.Y.).  Sophomore guard Tim Biolsi (Bronx, N.Y.) knocked down five three-pointers in the game and finished with a team-high 22 points.  Freshman forward Kevin Garlan (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points and three rebounds as the Dolphins lost their second straight.

For the game, Stevens shot 52.3 percent (34-for-65) from the field.  In the second half, the Ducks connected on 20 of 31 field-goal attempts (64.5 percent).  Mount Saint Vincent shot 39.7 percent (29-for-73) for the game.  Stevens owned a 48-33 rebounding edge.

On Wednesday, the Ducks will travel to Patchogue, N.Y. to take on St. Joseph’s College in an important Skyline Conference game.  Opening tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.