HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 22, 2008) – Senior forward Tim Williams poured in a team-high 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the floor as the 21st-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated Drew University by the final score of 77-64 on Tuesday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Williams added eight rebounds as the Ducks improved to 14-2 on the year.
Stevens opened the game with a 10-3 run over the first five minutes. Williams scored seven points in the spurt to fuel the Ducks' charge. Drew (4-12), which has now lost nine games in a row, answered right back with a 14-3 burst in the span of 6:16 to go on top 17-13 following a jumper by senior guard Chris Lopez (Staten Island, N.Y.) with 7:46 remaining in the period. Senior forward David Cramer (Columbiana, Ohio) had the first seven points for the Rangers. Lopez scored the final seven points in the rally.
The Ducks responded by ripping off a 12-0 run in the final 3:07 of the half. Sophomore guard George Greco drained two three-pointers to fuel the comeback. Williams scored the final four points of the half – with the last two coming on a put-back off a missed free throw by junior guard Virgil Gray with eight seconds to play. Stevens carried a 33-24 lead into the break after shooting 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Williams carried the team with 13 points and five rebounds in the period.
Neither team made any big runs in the second half. In fact, the lead fluctuated between 10 and 17 points the entire period. Both squads shot well from the floor in the half. Stevens was 15-for-29 (51.7 percent) from the field. The Rangers made 14-of-24 shots (58.3 percent).
Gray was the Ducks' second-leading scorer with 12 points. Senior guard Waleed Farid contributed 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Greco finished with 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins added eight points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor.
Lopez poured in a game-high 25 points for Drew. He also had seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Lopez shot 9-for-13 on the evening and made four three-pointers. Cramer chipped in with 15 points and five rebounds. He was 6-for-9 from the field.
Stevens owned a 35-20 advantage on the boards in the game. The Ducks shot 51.9 percent (27-for-52) overall. Drew made 51.1 percent (24-for-47) of its field-goal attempts.
Coming up on Sunday, Stevens will head to Elmira, N.Y., to take on Elmira College at 4 p.m. The Ducks defeated the Soaring Eagles 62-59 on December 7 in Hoboken.
