ONEONTA, N.Y. (February 14, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell at Hartwick College, 65-61, on Sunday afternoon at Lambros Arena in Oneonta, N.Y. The loss marks the end to a seven-game winning streak for the Ducks, who drop to 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the Empire 8. The win improves Hartwick to 9-13 overall and 6-8 in the conference.
The first seven-plus minutes of action saw a lot of back-and-forth with neither team getting a lead greater than two points and the squads tied at 11 apiece. Sophomore guard Eric Kessler hit a long three from the left side to put the Ducks up 16-12 with 11:10 to play in the first, but junior forward Martin McCann (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) answered with a trey of his own to make it a one-point game.
Senior guard George Greco buried his first three of the game to ignite a nice Duck run, and on the next possession fhe ound an open Max Schwartz on the right side for a transition lay up and a 21-15 Stevens lead. Senior forward Matt Higgins made it eight-straight Stevens points, and a runner from senior forward Ian Masone extended the lead to 10 (25-15) with 9:00 left in the first half.
Sophomore guard Mark Blazek (Erie, Pa.) slowed the momentum with 1-of-2 at the line, but sophomore forward Simon Smith pushed the Duck advantage to 11 with a solid basket underneath.
Hartwick answered the Stevens run with 11-straight points of its own, five coming from Blazek to tie the score at 27 with 3:11 to play before intermission. The Hawks took a one-point lead after 1-of-2 at the line, but Higgins notched a three-point play in transition to end the Hartwick spurt and give the Ducks a 30-28 lead.
Hartwick scored a second-chance basket, but freshman guard Russ Thompson hit a pair at the line and the Ducks took a 32-30 lead into the locker room. Higgins and Kessler led Stevens in scoring in the first 20 minutes with seven and six points, respectively. Smith pulled down six rebounds for the Ducks, who grabbed a total of 23. Stevens tallied eight assists and eight turnovers. They connected on 12 of their 28 attempts from the floor and were 3-for-10 from three.
Blazek led Hartwick with 11 points. The Hawks connected on 8-of-29 field-goal attempts in the first half.
Masone got the Ducks started well in the second half with a big-time block and a 15-footer on the following possession. The two teams traded baskets before Chris Ryder (Port Washington, N.Y.) buried two-straight 15-footers to give the Hawks a 39-38 lead with 10:58 to play.
The Ducks missed on their next possession and senior center Kyle Phillips (Ashland, Mass.) pushed the Hartwick lead to three (41-38) with a lay up on the other end.
Moments later, Stevens came back to take a one-point lead on a fast-break. Greco picked up a loose ball that was deflected by freshman guard Sheldon Jones and found a streaking Masone for a thunderous slam that quieted the crowd.
Any Stevens momentum quickly evaporated as Hartwick was able to open up a three-point edge with eight minutes remaining and pushed it to five after a Stevens turnover. Greco bought the Ducks back within two at 49-47, but senior guard James Mantas (Niskayuna, N.Y.) hit a leaner to give the Hawks a four-point cushion.
Greco buried another triple on the ensuing possession to make it a 51-50 game, but Hartwick had the answer, scoring five-straight points to open up its largest lead (six) with 3:11 left. Sophomore guard Mike Cutri (West Caldwell, N.J.) hit a 10-foot jump shot and Greco went 1-of-2 at the line to cut the Hawk lead to three, but Blazek hit a huge three with 2:15 to play to make it a six-point game.
Stevens was able to get several stops down the stretch but could not convert on the offensive end, eventually falling 65-61.
Stevens ended the contest shooting 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, 7-of-20 (35.0 percent) from long range, and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. Greco led the Ducks with 16 points and four assists. Masone also played well, scoring 12 points, and pulling down 10 rebounds. He too dished out four assists. Smith had seven points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Stevens committed 19 turnovers, recorded 15 assists, and ended with a 43-30 advantage on the glass.
Blazek poured in a game-high 19 for Hartwick. Phillips (11 points) and Ryder (10) each scored in double figures for the Hawks who shot 36.5 percent (19-of-52) from the floor and went 7-of-16 from deep. Hartwick converted 20-of-29 at the line.
Stevens will return to the hardwood on February 19 with a huge conference contest against thaca College. It will be the men's basketball Duck Country game. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. from the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J.
