PITTSFORD, N.Y. (January 29, 2010) – Sophomore guard Mike Cutri poured in a game-high 24 points and sophomore forward Simon Smith notched his seventh double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated host Nazareth College, 78-73, in a huge Empire 8 game on Saturday afternoon in Pittsford, N.Y. The win pushes the Ducks to 8-3 in the Empire 8 and 15-4 overall, and the loss drops Naz to 13-7 overall and 8-3 in the conference.
Nazareth struck first with a three-pointer from sophomore forward Jason Corletta (Pittsford, N.Y.), but senior guard George Greco answered with a three of his own to tie the game at three. Senior forward Matt Higgins was able to hit a 10-foot jump shot after a scramble to give the Ducks their first lead of the game (5-3) with 17:24 left in the first half and the see-saw first half began.
Naz went on a 7-0 spurt to take a 10-5 lead 4:15 into the action, but Smith converted a pair of layups to cut the Golden Flyer lead to one (10-9) with 15:04 to go in the half. A Smith put-back gave the Ducks the lead, but senior guard Corey McAdam (Fairport, N.Y.) scored the game's next five points to help Nazareth open up a 15-11 advantage with 12:24 left in the first.
Sophomore guard Mike Cutri got on the board with a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game, and junior center Bryan Franklin tied the game at 15 with a nice move in the post.
Each team went cold for over the next four-plus minutes, but Franklin was able convert an offensive rebound into two points to give the Ducks a one-point edge (18-17) with 8:11 on the clock. Smith's eighth point of game gave the Ducks a four-point lead (21-17) lead, and Greco and Smith executed a perfect pick-and-roll to give Stevens a 23-17 edge with 5:36 left in the opening half.
Sophomore center Greg Lothridge (East Syracuse, N.Y.) scored underneath to trim the Duck lead to four, and after a stop, freshman guard Tyshun Stephens (Newark, N.Y.) followed with a two at the line to make it a 23-21 game.
Nazareth tied the game at 25 with 2:34 remaining before intermission. Lothridge scored underneath to give Nazareth a 27-26 lead with 59 ticks before the break, but Cutri made a runner and was fouled to put the Ducks back on top (29-27). After a loose-ball foul on Lothridge, sophomore guard Eric Kessler stuck a pair to put the Ducks up 31-27, but Stephens hit two foul shots on the ensuing possession to make it a two-point game (31-29) going into the locker room.
The two teams went back-and-forth over the first four minutes of the second half, and Smith was able to give the Ducks a three-point lead on a put-back with 15:30 to go. After a steal, Cutri converted three-straight free throws after he was hit on a three-point attempt, and after a stop, Cutri hit a runner from eight-feet away to open up a 44-36 lead with 14:04 remaining.
Corletta hit a jumper to halt the Stevens momentum, but Cutri buried a three from the top of the key to give Stevens its largest lead of the afternoon (47-38). Smith pushed the lead to 11 on a fast-break layup and the two teams traded baskets on their next few possessions before Cutri chased down a loose ball and made a pretty left-handed layup in transition.
Nazareth went on a 10-2 run to cut the Stevens lead to four (55-51) with less than eight minutes to go, but the Ducks pushed it back to nine (60-51) with a Smith put-back and a Cutri three-pointer on back-to-back possessions. A McAdam jumper from the foul line made it 60-53 with 6:52 to play, but Greco found Cutri on the left side for a three and another 10-point lead.
Naz cut the lead to eight but Greco hit a three on an inbounds play to push the lead back to 11 with 4:04 remaining, and following a stop, Masone took a feed from Franklin and made an easy layup after a spin move on the left side.
Nazareth was able to cut the lead to nine with 1:30 to play but the Ducks did what they had to at the line to earn the 78-73 victory.
Stevens, now tied for second in the Empire 8 standings after defeating the two teams ahead in the standings, was led by Cutri's 24 points, two rebounds, two steals, and two assists. He hit three three-pointers and was 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Smith had 20 points, 10 boards (four offensive), and a steal, and Greco netted 11 points, dished out four assists, and had two boards. Higgins had eight rebounds, two points, and a steal, and Masone totaled four points, seven boards, and a steal. Franklin was strong off the bench with eight points and eight rebounds, and Kessler finished with seven points, all from the free-throw line.
The Ducks hit 21-of-33 free throws and shot 43.4 percent from the field. They were 5-of-11 from long range and grabbed 42 rebounds. Stevens dished out 11 assists and committed just nine turnovers.
Naz was led by 18 points from McAdam and Coreletta. Stephens and Scaffidi were also in double figures for the Golden Flyers who shot 41 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from three, and hit 16-of-17 at the line.
The Ducks will return to action on Friday, February 5 versus conference rival Utica College in Hoboken. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
NOTES: Stevens has won its last five games and is 6-1 on the road in Empire 8 play. ... Both coaching staffs wore sneakers in support of Suits and Sneakers against cancer. ... Simon Smith has double-doubles in three of his last four games. ... Mike Cutri is seven for his last eight from three-point range.
