HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 11, 2008) – Senior guard Waleed Farid registered his highest scoring output of the season with 23 points as the 18th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team overcame a slow start to record a 64-43 win over Hartwick College on Friday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Farid added seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals as the Ducks improved to 11-1 overall and 6-1 in the Empire 8.
The opening 20 minutes was tightly-contested and featured four ties and six lead changes. Trailing 17-16 with less than six minutes to go in the half, Stevens put together a 9-0 run in the span of 3:51 to go on top 25-17 with 1:45 to play. Junior guard Michael Baker scored seven points in the spurt. He got the Ducks going with a pair of free throws and later added a three-pointer from the left wing in front of the Hartwick bench. Baker capped the rally off with a one-handed dunk on a breakaway after intercepting a pass. Stevens led 25-19 at the break.
Baker finished the period with 10 points. Senior forward Tim Williams helped control the boards with seven rebounds. The Ducks shot just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from three-point range in the half.
Leading 32-26 early in the second period, Stevens went on a quick 7-1 spurt to open a 12-point advantage (39-27). Sophomore guard George Greco and Farid started the run with lay-ups. Baker followed with a three-pointer from the wing.
With the score 41-32 in favor of the Ducks with just over 11 minutes remaining, Stevens rattled off a 22-4 run in the span of 6:36 to put the game away. Farid had 12 points and made three three-pointers during that stretch. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins added six points in the spurt as Stevens opened up a 63-36 lead with 4:41 to play.
Farid shot 7-for-10 from the floor, 4-for-5 from behind the arc, and 5-for-7 from the foul line in the game. Baker finished with a season-high 16 points to go along with three assists and two steals as he made his fourth start in 12 games. Higgins tallied six points and six rebounds as the Ducks won their third game in a row.
Hartwick dropped its fourth-straight game to fall to 6-6 overall and 2-4 in the Empire 8. Junior guard Jan Cocozziello (Scotch Plains, N.J.) registered 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Cocozziello entered the contest averaging 19.1 points per game, but he made just three field goals against the Ducks. Junior forward Cory Carson (Gansevoort, N.Y.) collected 10 points and six rebounds for the Hawks.
Stevens shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field. Hartwick made just 15-of-42 field-goal attempts (35.7 percent) and committed 17 turnovers. The Ducks owned a 38-27 advantage on the boards.
Coming up on Sunday, Stevens will host Utica College in a key Empire 8 contest at 4 p.m. That game will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv. Following that contest, Head Coach Josh Loeffler will be a guest on Dave McHugh's Hoopsville Internet webcast, which will be carried at www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville at 7 p.m.
