HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 31, 2017) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team allowed just 26 second-half points Tuesday night in an 81-62 Empire 8 win over Hartwick in Hoboken.
The win moved Stevens to 13-4 (8-2), while Hartwick fell to 12-7 (5-5) with the loss.
Senior
Evan Klimchak led the way offensively with a game-high 24 points in addition to three assists and two rebounds, while freshman
Spencer Cook scored 19 with seven boards. Sophomore
Ryan Coffey went for 10 points and eight rebounds, and junior
Thomas Cook scored eight.
Stevens dominated on the boards by a 41-20 margin, while its bench outscored Hartwick's 31-3.
Hartwick raced out to an eight-point lead three minutes in keyed by seven points from Joey Lufkin, but Stevens roared back with a 9-1 run capped by a layup from Coffey to deadlock things at 15. The Hawks regained their lead and held it until the midway point of the half, before four straight from senior
Patrick Barron and a three from Klimchak put Stevens ahead 31-27 with just under eight to play.
Stevens' defense went to work from there, limiting Hartwick to just two points over the next five minutes as the offense built the lead to 10 with a jumper from Cook at the 3:27 mark. The Hawks did get within six with just over one to play, but a layup from junior
Chris Cosgrove in the final minute clinched an eight point halftime lead for Stevens.
Hartwick stayed within striking defense as the second-half unfolded, getting to within three with just over 11 minutes to go after a three from Corey Baker. The Ducks responded with a 12-0 run however to build the lead to 15 with under five to play, holding Hartwick scoreless over a seven-minute stretch.
The cushion was more than enough from there as Hartwick scored just four points over the final three minutes, while Stevens ended regulation on a 5-0 run to clinch the blowout.
Stevens will kick off a five game road swing Friday night at Elmira.
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