Postgame Interview - Senior Forward Kenny Gan
HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 6, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team held Utica College to just 18 points over the final 20 minutes of game time in a 71-52 Empire 8 win over the Pioneers Tuesday night in the Canavan Arena.
The win pushes to the Ducks to 2-1 in the Empire 8 and 5-6 overall. Utica falls to 0-3 in the conference and 4-8 on the season.
Stevens outscored Utica 35-18 in the final stanza behind excellent defense and strong execution on both ends of the floor. The Ducks held Utica forward
Conor Maisch (Kingston, N.Y.) off the scoreboard in the second half after he scored 12 in the first on 4-for-5 from deep. Senior forward
Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.) drew the assignment of guarding Maisch in the second and was excellent, allowing his counterpart to get off two total shots – both misses. Gan was strong all-around throughout the game, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.
Leading 47-44 with 9:23 remaining, the Ducks erupted on a 12-0 run to open a 15-point lead that changed the game. Sophomore guard
Thomas Ahern (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) drilled a three to get things started and sophomore forward
Otis Osman (Far Hills, N.J.) converted a feed from freshman guard
Austin Marchese (Northport, N.Y.) to give the Ducks a 52-44 margin. Osman scored five-straight points on the back of a three and two at the line to help the Ducks open a 57-44 lead, and a layup from junior forward
Alex Lorenz (Point Pleasant, N.J.) made it 59-44 Ducks with 6:39 on the clock.
Utica was able to get within 12 on several occasions, but a three-pointer from senior
forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.), a layup from Lorenz and another triple from sophomore guard
Patrick Barron (Oradell, N.J.) turned a 12-point lead to 20 in 1:28 of game time and that sealed the win.
The first half featured 12 made three-pointers – six from each team – and the two teams went into the intermission with the scoreboard showing 36-34, Ducks.
Stevens started strong, jumping out to a 16-9 lead after a three-pointer Ahern, but the Pioneers quickly countered with an 11-3 run to take a 20-19 lead with 8:38 to play in the first. Stevens went back up seven two more times in the first thanks to a triples from Barron and
Lorenz, and again, Utica would respond, trimming the Duck margin to two before the break.
In total, the Ducks finished the game with a season high 12 three-pointers (on 30 attempts) and shot 46.6 percent for the game (27-for-58). Stevens held a 32-30 edge on the glass, assisted on 19 of their 27 made baskets, had six team blocks and nine steals. The Ducks committed a season-low seven turnovers and received 19 points off the bench.
Barron finished with a career-high 17 points, connecting on five triples. Osman had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and in addition to Gan's strong game, Sabatino finished with nine points and four blocked shots. Lorenz led the Stevens bench with 11 points, while point guard
Michael Langford (Staten Island, N.Y.) had four points, a career-high six assists and one steal.
Maisch led the Utica offense with 12 points as the Pioneers shot 40.4 percent for the game, and 9-for-20 (45 percent) from deep.
The Ducks will hit the road for two conference games Friday and Saturday at St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College. Visit
www.stevensducks.com for links to follow the action on gameday.
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