HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 3, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team (3-3 overall, 0-0 Empire 8) will close out the 2014 portion of its schedule with a pair of non-conference road games at Baruch College and New York University Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon.
 
The Ducks have been up and down to start the season, earning wins over Kean University, Baptist Bible and FDU-Florham, but falling at the hands of Brooklyn College, Richard Stockton and Rutgers-Newark.
 
Statistically, the Ducks have been solid underneath in terms of blocks and rebounds. They are currently 29th nationally with 24 total blocked shots and check in at No. 46 in total rebounds with 227. Senior forward Kenny Gan is currently the only player ranked in the top-50 in individual statistical categories as the Duck veteran is 40th in the nation in total rebounds with 51.
 
Sophomore forward Otis Osman and senior forward Patrick Sabatino – who scored his 1,000th career point Sunday – lead the tean in scoring, averaging 13.7 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Each is shooting well over 50 percent from the field and each is averaging 5.0 or more rebounds per outing. Gan leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 8.5 per contest, while sophomore guard Patrick Barron is leading the team in three-pointers with 11, shooting nearly 41 percent from long range. Three Ducks currently are in double figures for assists in freshman guard Chris Cosgrove (13), Gan (12) and Osman (11).
 
Head Men's Basketball Coach Bobby Hurley and his staff have had a lot of new faces to incorporate into the rotation, and the staff is pleased with the progress so far despite knowing the team has a lot of room left to improve.
 
"At times we have played well on both ends of the court," commented Hurley Wednesday morning before heading to Baruch. "I've been very pleased with our overall effort and energy each game but we are still looking to play well for a full 40 minutes."   
 
Wednesday night, the Ducks will face a familiar opponent in Baruch. The Bearcats come in with an overall record of 2-1 after a 69-48 win over FDU-Florham Saturday. That game followed a 65-62 loss at Centenary and an 89-69 home win over Kean. Dating back to the 2010-11 season, Stevens has gone 5-1 against Baruch, including wins in its last four meetings.
 
NYU will have a record of 3-2 when the cross-river rivals meet Saturday in Manhattan at the Coles Center. Last year, the Ducks defeated NYU twice which were just the second and third wins in Stevens program history against NYU.
 
"Both teams have a great inside presence which will be challenging," added Hurley. "For us to be successful we will need to make it difficult for them to score inside, keep them off the offensive boards, and keep them from the free throw line."
 
Live stats will be available Wednesday night at Baruch, and both video and live stats will be offered  at NYU Saturday afternoon. Access to all links can be accessed via www.stevensducks.com.
 
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