ROCHESTER, N.Y. (January 9, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team dropped a 73-59 Empire 8 game at St. John Fisher College Friday night in Rochester, N.Y.
 
The loss drops the Ducks to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the Empire 8. St. John Fisher improves to 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the conference.
 
Fisher was able to push a three-point halftime lead to 10 (54-44) 6:35 into the second half. The Cardinals outscored the Ducks 16-8 over that span, getting six points from senior guard Stefan Bock (Red Hook, N.Y.). Stevens received a four-point play from freshman guard Jayson Winick (Naperville, Ill.), slicing a nine-point deficit to five on the play.
 
Fisher pushed the lead to 14 with 7:22 remaining, and despite the Ducks not allowing the Cardinals to extend, they could get no closer than 11 (65-54) before falling 73-59.
 
The first half featured two hot-shooting teams as they combined to shoot 28-of-49 from the field (57.1 percent). The Ducks hit four three-pointers (4-for-8), but Fisher hit six (of 13), eventually overcoming an early Stevens lead to take a 39-36 lead into intermission.
 
Senior forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) started the game with a dunk for the Ducks, and four-straight from the senior made it 9-8 Stevens less than three minutes into the game. A three-pointer from sophomore forward Otis Osman (Far Hills, N.J.) made it 12-8, and two more from Osman made it a six point game 5:06 in. Fisher quickly tied things at 14, but a quick 6-1 spurt from the Ducks capped by a layup from junior forward Alex Lorenz (Point Pleasant, N.J.) gave the Ducks a 20-15 margin.
 
Up six (33-27) with 6:35 in the first following a three-pointer from freshman Austin Marchese (Northport, N.Y.), the hosts countered, scoring 12 of the next 15 points in the half to close on a 12-3 run and take a lead into the locker room.
 
Stevens finished the game shooting 47.1 percent (24-for-51) from the field and went 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) from deep. The Ducks connected on six of their 12 free throws, and ended the game with a 33-28 edge on the glass, including a 13-8 margin on the offensive boards. Stevens had 11 assists on the night and received 18 points off the bench.
 
St. John Fisher shot 51.1 percent (23-for-45) from the field and hit eight three-pointers on 21 attempts. 
 
Sabatino finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for Stevens, with Osman adding 13 points and three rebounds. Lorenz finished with nine tallies and two boards, while sophomore guard Patrick Barron (Long Valley, N.J.) had eight points and three assists.
 
All five St. John Fisher started finished in double figures, led by 16 points and four steals from senior forward Optimystik Kinard (South Ozone Park, N.Y.).
 
Stevens will look to get back in the win column Saturday when the Ducks visit Empire 8 rival Nazareth College at 4 p.m. Visit www.stevensducks.com for links to follow the action live.