PITTSFORD, N.Y. (January 18, 2008) – Trailing by 12 points early in the second half, the 15th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team pulled to within two points with eight minutes remaining, but the Ducks were unable earn the victory as they suffered a 71-59 loss to five-time defending Empire 8 champion St. John Fisher College on Friday evening in Pittsford, N.Y. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Ducks, who fell to 12-2 overall and 7-2 in league play.
Junior guard Anthony Passalacqua knocked down five three-pointers and had 15 points in his first game back after missing the last three games. Junior guard Virgil Gray finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Senior guard Waleed Farid totaled nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Senior forward Tim Williams and sophomore guard George Greco collected nine points apiece.
For the Cardinals (7-7, 3-2 Empire 8), senior forward Justin Beigel (Cincinnati, Ohio) posted 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Sophomore guard/forward Chris Baltz (Vestal, N.Y.) added 13 points. Senior forward/center Isaiah Smalt (Savona, N.Y.) and senior guard Mike McKeever (Philadelphia, N.Y.) chipped in with 10 points apiece.
St. John Fisher owned a 39-29 advantage on the board. Stevens shot 35.1 percent (20-for-57) from the field in the game. The Ducks connected on just 9-of-31 field-goal attempts (29.0 percent) in the second half. The Cardinals knocked down 44.0 percent (22-for-50) of their shots overall.
Stevens opened with a 13-6 run over the first 5:29 of the contest. Junior guard Michael Baker, Farid, and Baker each nailed three-pointers to spark the team. St. John Fisher answered right back with an 11-0 run to go on top 17-13 on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Matt Newman (Campbell, N.Y.) with 9:20 to go in the half.
Leading 20-19, the Cardinals scored eight unanswered points to open a nine-point advantage (28-19) on a three-pointer by McKeever. SJC led 34-29 at the break.
Fisher extended its lead to 45-33 on a lay-up by Beigel with 15:46 remaining in the contest. Stevens responded with a 16-6 run over an eight-minute stretch to get to within 51-49 with 7:43 to go. Passalacqua drilled two shots from downtown in the spurt. Gray added five points. Greco's three-pointer from the wing brought the Ducks to within two points at that juncture of the contest.
St. John Fisher used a quick 6-0 to run to put the game away. Smalt's baseline jumper staked the Cardinals to a 57-49 lead with less than six minutes to go. From that point on, Fisher continued to pull away by knocking down several shots at the foul line.
Stevens will be right back in action on Saturday when it takes on Alfred University at 4 p.m. in Alfred, N.Y. That contest will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv.
