STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (November 18, 2008) – Senior guard Anthony Passalacqua scored a game-high 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team trounced the College of Staten Island, 90-48 on Tuesday night at the CSI Sports and Recreation Center. Five players scored in double figures, and the Ducks assisted on 21 of their 31 baskets to move to a perfect, 3-0 on the young season.
Stevens opened the game on a 14-0 run to set the stage for what would turn into a blowout by the end of the night. Passalacqua connected on a three to get things started as the senior went on to score the first seven points of the game for the Ducks.
The lead continued to balloon over the first ten minutes. Freshman Justin Sanchez drilled a three after a nice look from Passalacqua to give Stevens a 30-11 lead, its largest of the first half.
CSI came back to score nine in a row to cut the lead to ten after a Jordan Young (Asbury Park, N.J.) layup, but the Ducks withstood the Dolphins' best shot and went into the locker room with a 13-point cushion after Passalacqua hit his third triple of the half with just nine seconds remaining.
The first three-plus minutes of the second half saw both teams struggle from the field as neither team was able to find the bottom of the net. The Stevens lead got to 16 when Passalacqua continued his hot shooting with another three, but CSI ran off six in a row make it a 10-point game with 15:27 remaining.
With the lead at ten, the Ducks used a decisive, 13-0 run over the next 4:30 to put the game away. It started with a Michael Baker three, and ended with a deep ball from Sanchez as Baker and junior Matt Higgins combined for 10 points the spurt.
CSI got that lead back under 20 but Stevens exploded for a prolonged run to end the game. Over the last ten minutes, the entire squad was able to get into the action as the Ducks outscored CSI 34-12. It was the second time this season that all 14 members of the roster saw the court.
Baker had another strong night across the board for Stevens. The senior tri-captain had 12 points on 5-for-8 from the floor, seven rebounds, and four assists. Sanchez finished with 12 points, three boards, and three dimes, and Higgins had ten points, five rebounds, and five assists in just 21 minutes of play.
Empire 8 Player of the Week Virgil Gray had ten points and four assists as freshman Simon Smith had seven points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
The most impressive part of the night was the energy and intensity throughout the entire 40 minutes of action. Even when it was clear the Ducks had the game, they did not let down and continued to execute. The Stevens defense held CSI to 27 percent from the field and just 21.2 percent in the second half.
As a team, Stevens shot 47 percent for the game on 31 of 66 from the field, and the Ducks were 10-for-22 from deep. Passalacqua was 5-for-10 himself.
Stevens returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it visits Kean University. Tip-off is 1 p.m.
