Box Score

MADISON, N.J. (November 20, 2012) – Senior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) hit five three-pointers en route to a game-high 21 points as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the young 2012-13 season with a 74-65 win at Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham Tuesday night at the Ferguson Recreation Center in Madison, N.J.
 
The two teams were tight early, splitting the game's first 16 points and finding the score tied at eight apiece with 13:12 left in the opening period. From that point, the Ducks went on a 9-1 spurt, to gain a 17-9 margin at the 9:18 mark. Sophomore forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) started the run with junior captain Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.), junior guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) and senior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.) all getting in on the action.
 
Trailing 26-17 with a little more than 5:30 to play in the first, the Devils (0-1) got back into the game on the shoulders of a 7-0 run in which junior Will Green (Cranford, N.J.) scored five points. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the half with the Ducks leading by as much as four and the Devils closing within one. Stevens ended up going into the locker room with a 35-32 lead.
 
Thompson led the Ducks with nine points, hitting three of his four attempts from long range, while junior guard Trevor Sykes (Staten Island, N.Y.) led all scorers with 12 for FDU. Stevens shot 42.3 percent from the field, 4-for-8 from three and 9-for-12 at the line. The Devils were 4-for-11 at the line, 2-for-7 from deep and shot 43.3 percent overall. They also held a 21-19 rebounding edge through the first 20 minutes.
 
At the start of the second, the Devils quickly got within one but a put-back from sophomore forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) and a fastbreak layup from Thompson pushed the margin back to five (39-34) with 16 minutes on the clock. On several occasions over the next few minutes, Stevens expanded its margin to seven, but FDU was able to keep it close thanks to clutch baskets and free throws from senior forward Derek Hall (Oak Ridge, N.J.).
 
Leading by just three with 7:56 left in regulation after a Green layup, Stevens was able to outscore the Devils 9-2 over the next 2:35 to push the lead to 10 at 62-52. Gan had another put-back, Meszaros had a fast-break layup, Thompson buried his fifth three-pointer of the night thanks to a helper from Skrelja and Jones hit a short jumper in the lane as the Ducks finally had some breathing room.
 
The double-digit deficit did not deter the Devils, as they were to get within six (65-59) with 1:32 remaining following a made hoop from senior guard Mike Williamson (Piscataway, N.J.), but the Ducks went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe down the stretch to close out the 74-65 win.
 
Stevens finished shooting 39.7 percent (23-for-58) from the field, 33.3 percent (6-for-18) from three and 22-for-30 (73.3 percent) from the line. The Ducks had 15 turnovers and forced 18 by FDU, assisted on 11 baskets, had four blocks and a season-high 11 thefts. Skrelja led the Ducks with three steals.
 
Thompson shot 6-for-10 from the floor and was 5-for-9 from three. He added four boards, three assists and a steal. Jones finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Sabatino had seven points and five boards. Skrelja finished with six points, a team-best nine rebounds and two assists, with Gan getting four points, four rebounds and two helpers. A total of 11 players scored for Stevens and eight had steals.
 
Green led FDU with a monster game of 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. He was the only Devil in double figures as the hosts shot 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from three. FDU was just 50 percent at the line (16-for-32) but held a slight 44-43 edge on the glass and tallied 13 total assists.
 
The Ducks will take two days off for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to practice Friday. Their next game is Sunday when they open up their home slate with a 2 p.m. tip vs. Rutgers – Newark. All the action will be webcast live at www.Empire8.tv.
 
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