HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 6, 2008) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team dropped a tight, 72-65 game to visiting New York University on Saturday afternoon at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Senior guard Anthony Passalacqua led the Ducks with 19 points, 15 of which came from behind the arc. NYU had a good day shooting as the Violets shot 51.2 percent from the floor and went 25-for-33 from the free-throw line in the win. Stevens ends the first semester with a record of 6-2 and will take more than three weeks off before returning to action on December 30 when the Ducks host The College of New Jersey.
Stevens shot 39.7 percent from the floor and had only 11 assists compared to 14 turnovers. The Ducks forced 20 NYU turnovers but the Violets' strong shooting was too much to overcome.
NYU (6-0) used a 13-2 run to build an 11-point lead with 3:11 to go in the first half. Five different players scored in the spurt that occurred during a 3:31 stretch.
The Ducks were able to get lead under 10 after Passalacqua hit one of his five threes with 2:21 in the first. Neither team scored over the final two minutes of the half, and the Violets held a 28-20 lead going into the locker room.
Slowly but surely, the Ducks chipped away in the second half and were able to tie the score with 12:46 to go after senior guard Michael Baker hit a three. Stevens took its first lead since 13-12 on another Passalacqua triple with 10:55 to go, and the two teams traded buckets for the next 4:13 before NYU went on a 9-0 spurt to take control of the contest. Senior center John Mish (Holland, Pa.) scored four points in the run.
Down eight with 5:13 to go, the Ducks did not quit and got within three points (63-60) after Matt Higgins put in a layup following an offensive board. Sophomore Richie Polan (Tarzana, Calif.) hit a jumper to answer Higgins' layup to extend the lead back to five but Baker and freshman Simon Smith both hit layups to cut the NYU lead to one, 65-64, with 1:48 remaining.
That was the closest the Ducks would get as the Violets scored seven of the game's final eight points. Polan went 6-for-6 at the line in the final 51 seconds to secure the win. He ended the contest with 15 points and game-high 13 rebounds. Mish led NYU with 18 points. He also snared 10 boards.
Higgins finished with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and senior guard Virgil Gray poured in 14. Baker finished with nine points, six assists, and four rebounds.
The Ducks shot 9-for-29 in the first half and 39.7 percent for the game. They also only made 12 of 24 attempts from the line.
Stevens will take three weeks off before returning to the hardwood in the Canavan Arena versus TCNJ on December 30.
