ONEONTA, N.Y. (January 25, 2011) – Despite 20 points from sophomore guard Sheldon Jones and another double-double from junior forward Simon Smith, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell in a battle at Hartwick College, 82-78, on Tuesday night in Oneonta, N.Y. Four players ended in double figures for the Ducks who are now 5-3 in the Empire 8 and 11-5 overall.
The first half was back-and-forth throughout as the two teams combined for 98 points and 10 three-point field goals made. Stevens took the first noteworthy lead (four points) 2:55 into the game following a three-pointer from sophomore guard Russ Thompson, but the Hawks came right back to take their first lead of the game (12-11) 1:59 later when junior forward Chris Ryder (Port Washington, N.Y.) sunk a pair at the line.
Stevens quickly responded, opening up an eight-point margin with a 14-5 run over the next 2:56 in which three different players had three or more points.
The see-saw battle continued with Hartwick (11-6 overall, 6-2 Empire 8) ripping off nine consecutive points, five from Ryder, to re-take the upper hand at 26-25 with nine minutes remaining in the opening period.
Ryder, who had a superb first half with 21 points, eventually gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game (five points) with 6:45 to play in the half thanks to a triple, and as was the case in the first 13-plus minutes, the Ducks responded with five-straight to tie the score at 37. A layup from Smith again gave the Ducks a lead, and the two teams traded buckets the rest of the half to send Stevens into the locker room with a 45-43 lead.
Hartwick outscored Stevens 16-7 to start the second half, including a pair of three-pointers from senior forward Martin McCann (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) to take a 59-52 advantage with a little more than 13 minutes to go.
Jones knocked down two at the line to get the Ducks back within five, but McCann drained another three to give the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 62-54 with 11:52 left.
Like the first half, the up-and-down, back-and-forth battle continued with the Ducks ripping off an 11-2 run to regain the lead at 65-64 with just under nine minutes to play in the second half. A three from Thompson was the exclamation point on the run that took just 2:03 off the clock.
With 5:30 to go in the game and Hartwick holding a 70-69 edge, junior guard Mike Cutri nailed a clutch three, and after forcing a turnover on the Hawks' next possession, a Jones fast-break layup gave the Ducks a 74-70 lead with exactly five minutes on the clock.
Hartwick came back to score five points in a row over the next 1:11 and came out of a timeout with a slim 75-74 margin over the Ducks with 2:56 left on the clock. Junior guard Andres Carpio (Beacon, N.Y.) gave the Hawks a two-point edge after making one of two at the line, and after getting a two stops, two Ryder free throws extended the lead to four (78-74) with 59 seconds remaining.
A nifty move on the left block from senior center Bryan Franklin made it a two-point game, and senior guard Mark Blazek (Erie, Pa.) hit a pair after getting fouled to push the Stevens deficit back to four. On the next possession, Franklin found a cutting Jones to make it 80-78 Hartwick with 15 seconds left, but Ryder hit both his free throws on the other end, and the Ducks could not find the range on two three's, falling by an 82-78 final.
Jones (8-for-15) finished with 20 points, three rebounds, and two assists, and Smith had 13 points, 16 rebounds, and three assists. Thompson finished with 14 points and Cutri had 13 to go along with four assists and four boards. Franklin turned in a solid effort as well with nine points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) led the Ducks off the bench with seven points, two rebounds, and a blocked shot.
The Ducks compiled 13 assists and just seven turnovers, while shooting 43.7 percent (31-for-71) from the field and 28 percent (7-for-25) from three. Stevens hit nine of its 12 attempts from the line and ended the game with a 40-28 advantage on the glass.
Four Hartwick players were in double figures, led by Ryder's 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Blazek had 18 for the Hawks who shot 53.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from long range. They also ended the game with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (16 assists, eight turnovers).
The Ducks return home to the Canavan Arena on Friday night with a big conference contest versus Utica College at 8 p.m. All the action can be seen live at www.PennAtlantic.com.
