HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 8, 2008) – Junior guard Virgil Gray tallied a game-high 23 points to go along with five steals and two assists in leading the 18th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 71-56 win over the College of Staten Island in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Gray, who shot 10-for-12 from the floor, was honored before the game for surpassing the 1,000-point scoring plateau in the Ducks' win over Nazareth College on Saturday.

Stevens (10-1) was also led by sophomore guard George Greco, who collected 11 points and three steals. Senior guard Waleed Farid registered nine points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Higgins added nine points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists in the victory. Senior forward Joseph Ayodele chipped in with eight points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.

For Staten Island (6-7), junior guard Brian Ameneiros (Staten Island, N.Y.) had a team-high 18 points on 4-for-10 shooting from downtown. Ameneiros added five rebounds as the Dolphins' two-game winning streak came to an end. Senior forward Gari Blackett (Brooklyn, N.Y.) collected 14 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Robert Mesjasz (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with six points, six steals, and four rebounds.

The Ducks jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first 3:36 of the game. Gray collected six points in the run. Leading 25-22 late in the first half, Stevens scored eight straight points to open an 11-point advantage (33-22) on a lay-up by Farid with 2:09 left in the period. The Ducks led 35-26 at the break.

Trailing 46-31 with less than 15 minutes to go in the contest, Staten Island mounted a rally with a 14-3 spurt in the span of 3:17. Ameneiros had 10 points and made three three-pointers in the run as the Dolphins climbed to within 49-45 with 11:20 remaining.

Stevens answered right back with a 22-6 burst over a six-minute stretch that put the game away. Gray had 10 points in the run. Junior guard Michael Baker capped the spurt with a driving lay-up that put the Ducks in front 71-51 with 3:47 to play.

For the game, Stevens shot 43.5 percent (27-for-62) from the field. Staten Island connected on 19-of-55 field-goal attempts (34.5 percent). The Ducks held a 46-34 advantage on the boards and forced 28 turnovers by the Dolphins.

Coming up on Friday, Stevens will host Empire 8 foe Hartwick College at 8 p.m. That contest will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv.