HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 22, 2010) – Sophomore forward Simon Smith had a strong evening, notching his second double-double in as many games (21 points, 11 rebounds) to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 75-64 conference victory over Alfred University. The Ducks used a 24-3 run over 8:48 in the first half to build a 20-point lead it would never relinquish. Senior forward Ian Masone and sophomore guard Mike Cutri each scored in double figures for Stevens (12-4 overall, 6-3 Empire 8).
The Ducks jumped on top 6-0 after 2:10 of game time but Alfred was able to come back and take a 12-8 lead with 14:33 to play in the first thanks to four long three-pointers.
After several scores for each team, the Ducks regained the lead and went on a game-changing run. The Ducks scored 24 of the game's next 27 points to take a 37-19 lead with 3:20 to play in the first. Sophomore guard Eric Kessler drained two threes as Smith, senior Matt Higgins, and Masone all had three buckets in the spurt to give the Ducks a big cushion that would never really be threatened.
Stevens scored 26 of their first 39 points in the paint and converted 11 Alfred turnovers into 17 points. Stevens went 17-of-38 from the floor and out-rebounded the Saxons 20-16 in the first. Senior guard George Greco had six assists himself as the Ducks recorded 13 helpers on 17 made baskets.
The Ducks continued their strong play early in the second half, with Greco getting the lead back to 19 (46-27) 2:16 in. That 19-point advantage would be the largest Stevens' second-half lead would grow as the Saxons did not quit and were able to slowly chip away.
Alfred (6-8 overall, 0-6 Empire 8) scored nine straight over 2:29 to make it a 46-36 game with 15:15 remaining. The two teams traded buckets before the Saxons made a pair of threes to cut the Duck lead to seven, but Masone was able to convert a layup after a nice look from Kessler, and freshman Max Schwartz tracked down a failed lob attempt and recorded a put-back to make it 57-46 Stevens with 8:28 left in the game.
Alfred got the lead to seven at the 6:05 mark and again at the 5:36 mark, but it could not get the stops or buckets it needed to make it any closer. After cutting it to seven for the final time, Smith was able to make a move inside, got fouled, scored the basket, and tacked on the free-throw to put the Ducks back up 10.
Stevens pushed the lead to 14 (68-54) after a pair of Cutri free throws with 3:56 remaining to put the game away. Alfred was able to get the lead under 10 twice in the final 3:30 but Stevens went 5-of-6 from the line and recorded at least one point on five of its last six possessions to seal the win.
The double-double was the sixth of the season for Smith. In addition to his 21 points and 11 rebounds, he tallied a block and a steal. Cutri finished with 14 points and was 6-for-6 from the foul line. He also dished out three assists and notched a pair of steals. Greco finished with seven points, seven assists, and two steals, and Masone was solid with 12 points, five boards, and two assists. Higgins totaled seven points and eight boards, and Kessler had a solid all-around game off the bench scoring eight points, doling out four helpers, and grabbing two rebounds.
The Ducks finished 30-for-66 (45.5 percent) from the floor and 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the line. They assisted on 19-of-30 baskets and only turned the ball over 10 times. Stevens ended the contest with a 41-30 rebounding advantage (19 came on the offensive end).
Alfred was led with senior forward Ron Smith (Lyons, N.Y.) who had 19 points and three assists. Junior guard Mike Stopera (Scotia, N.Y.) and junior guard Gary Kwiecien (Perry, N.Y.) each finished in double figures.
Stevens will return to action with a non-conference contest on Monday evening against the College of Staten Island. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. The game is scheduled to be webcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com/main.php.
