UNION, N.J. (November 23, 2008) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team continued its strong start with a solid 66-62 win at Kean University on Sunday afternoon at the Harwood Arena in Union, N.J. Kean (2-2) went ahead 62-59 after Brian Lytle (East Orange, N.J.) made a layup with 1:24 left, but the Ducks went on a 7-0 run to close the game and earn their fourth-straight win of the 2008-09 basketball season. Stevens was led by the 28 points of senior guard Virgil Gray and the nine points and nine assists from senior guard Michael Baker.
The game began with a lot back and forth as Kean held a slight lead during the first five-plus minutes of the game. The Cougars went on a 7-2 spurt over a 3:21 span in the first half to go up 17-11 with 11:20 to go in the first half. That six-point lead was the largest of the contest for Kean.
The two teams traded buckets over the next several minutes of game time before Stevens ran off 10 in a row to take a 33-27 lead with 1:23 to go in the half. Gray and senior guard Anthony Passalacqua each drained triples in the run as Baker assisted on three of the four baskets.
The Ducks went into the break up 33-30 after shooting 6-for-12 from behind the arc but just five of 14 from close range. Stevens was out-rebounded 23-14 in the first half and 41-27 for the game.
The second stanza, like the first, featured a lot of back and forth and was close throughout. Stevens used a 6-0 run to build a 39-33 lead but the Cougars answered back with a 6-0 burst of their own to knot the score at 39 after a Jonathan Jones (Linden, N.J.) jumper.
The Ducks answered with another run of six points as Baker finished a three-point play and then assisted Passlacqua's fourth three of the game to put the Ducks up 45-39 with 16 minutes to go. Over the next ten minutes Kean chipped away and was able to tie the score for the third time of the afternoon after junior Eugene Tolliver (East Orange, N.J.) nailed three-pointer with 5:33 to go.
Kean was able to take a 60-57 lead after a layup and a free throw with 3:29 to go, but Stevens would not back down. After freshman Simon Smith converted a free throw, the Ducks were down just one, 60-59. Lytle made a layup for Kean to give the Cougars a three-point cushion but that would be all.
Gray drilled his fourth three of the afternoon after a feed from Baker to tie the score with 1:13 left. Baker then rebounded a Passalacqua miss and nailed the put back to give the Ducks a two-point edge before Gray converted two key free throws with three ticks on the clock.
The Stevens defense came through down the stretch, forcing turnovers on the final two Kean possessions. The Ducks won the overall turnover battle once again as they forced 20 but committed just 13. Baker had nine of the 13 total team assists for the Ducks.
The Ducks shot 40.4 percent from the floor and just 57.7 percent from the free-throw line. Passalacqua had 14 points in the win, and junior Matt Higgins was solid scoring eight points and grabbing six boards. Little led Kean with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kean was 7-for-12 from the charity stripe as the Ducks were 15 of 26.
Stevens will return to the court on Tuesday evening when it visits Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham at 8 p.m.
