HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 1, 2008) – In a rematch of a 100-97 double-overtime thriller from January 5, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team edged Nazareth College, 76-73, in an entertaining game played on Friday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. After overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit last time against the Golden Flyers, the Ducks did it once again as they rallied from a seven-point hole with 12 minutes remaining to run their record to 16-3 overall and 10-2 in the Empire 8.
Trailing 73-71 with just over a minute to go, Stevens mounted a comeback as junior guard Virgil Gray stole the ball from Golden Flyers' sophomore guard Corey McAdam (Fairport, N.Y.) along the sidelines in front of the Nazareth bench. Gray started a break as he found junior guard Michael Baker ahead of the pack. Baker missed a contested left-handed lay-up, but junior guard Anthony Passalacqua came down with the rebound and was fouled.
Passalacqua stepped to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the score with 56 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Nazareth senior guard Joe Canori (Webster, N.Y.) missed a go-ahead three-pointer. Baker came away with the rebound for Stevens. Down at the other end, Gray drew the fifth personal foul on senior center Tyler Smith (Fairport, N.Y.) with 11.1 seconds left on the clock. Gray nailed both free throws to give the Ducks a 75-73 lead.
Junior forward Ryan McAdam (Fairport, N.Y.) had a chance to give the Golden Flyers the lead, but he missed a three-pointer from the wing. Ducks' senior guard Waleed Farid grabbed a crucial rebound and made 1-of-2 free throws with 1.8 seconds to go.
Following a timeout by Nazareth, the Golden Flyers (13-5, 6-3 Empire 8) set up a play from in front of the Stevens bench with 1.1 second remaining. Junior guard Chris Barrett (Williamsville, N.Y.), who had just checked into the game for the first time all evening, missed a rushed shot at the buzzer from about 30 feet away that came up short as the horn expired.
The Ducks started the game strong as they grabbed a 10-4 lead in the first five minutes. Gray had four early points. Stevens extended the margin to nine points (18-9) on a jumper by senior forward Joseph Ayodele with 12 minutes left in the period. Nazareth answered with an 18-4 run over a six-minute stretch to go on top 27-22 following two free throws by Canori, who also had two three-pointers in the spurt. Ryan McAdam added a dunk and a three-pointer to fuel the Golden Flyers' charge.
Trailing 31-26 with just over two minutes left in the half, Stevens used a 10-5 run to tie the game at 36-all. Passalacqua hit a three-pointer and Gray completed a three-point play to get the Ducks going. Nazareth out-rebounded Stevens 28-16 over the first 20 minutes, but the Golden Flyers made just 35.1 percent (13-for-37) of their shots.
Nazareth scored the first five points of the second half to grab a 41-36 lead on a three-point play by Smith. The Golden Flyers extended their advantage to 62-55 on a three-pointer by Ryan McAdam with 12:18 remaining. Stevens fired right back with an 11-2 spurt that was capped off by a three-pointer by Passalacqua. That basket put the Ducks in front 59-57 with 9:23 to go. Passalacqua had two three's and seven total points in the run.
Tied at 65-all, Nazareth scored four quick points to go on top 69-65 with 4:05 to play. The Ducks pulled to within one point (70-69) on a tip-in by Farid with 3:33 remaining – setting the stage for a wild last three minutes.
Gray led all scorers with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Passalacqua finished with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Farid contributed seven points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Senior forward Tim Williams added eight points and 11 rebounds. Ayodele posted eight points, five blocked shots, and two rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
Ryan McAdam totaled 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Golden Flyers. He was 10-for-15 from the floor. Canori totaled 16 points and five rebounds. The leading-scorer for Nazareth (19.8 points per game entering Friday) this season, Canori was held to four points on 1-for-6 shooting in the second half. Smith chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots.
Stevens, which had made just 58.3 percent of its foul shots all season before Friday, converted on 17-of-21 trips (81 percent) to the charity stripe against the Golden Flyers. Nazareth, on the other hand, made just 18-of-27 free throws (66.7 percent). The Ducks shot 44.3 percent (27-for-61) from the field, while the Golden Flyers knocked down 36.8 percent (25-for-68) of their attempts.
Following an off day on Saturday, Stevens will take on Rochester Institute of Technology on Sunday at 4 p.m. That game will be carried live at www.Empire8.tv. Once again, all fans in attendance are asked to wear black in support of “Black-Out Night.”
