LANCASTER, Pa. (November 16, 2018) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit but Hobart College scored four points in the final 23 seconds to edge the Ducks, 68-65, Friday night in an opening-round game at the William Marshall Tip-Off, hosted by Franklin and Marshall College.
Sophomore
Alec DiPietrantonio led the offense with 16 points and junior
Spencer Cook added 13 for the Ducks, who fell to 1-1. It was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Tucker Lescoe scored a game-high 23 points and Jamal Lucas and Colin Dougherty each added 11 for the Statesmen, who won their season opener for the sixth straight season.
Trailing by three at halftime, the Ducks found themselves down nine with just over 13 minutes remaining, before beginning their comeback bid. DiPietrantonio scored four straight points to spark the comeback and junior
Michael Zignorski converted an old-fashioned three-point play to bring Stevens within a basket.
After the teams traded baskets and free throws, Cook made a layup and junior
JoJo Mosca hit a long three to give Stevens its first lead since the 9:25 mark of the first half.
The Ducks opened as much as a four-point lead on a Zignorksi layup before Hobart rallied in the final minute. Stevens had to chances to force overtime at the final buzzer, but Mosca's three-point try was unsuccessful.
Pivotal Point
- Leading by two with 95 seconds left in regulation, the Ducks were unable to push their lead to two possessions.
- Second Team All-NABC and d3hoops.com All-Region guard Colin Dougherty sank a layup to reclaim the lead for the Statesmen.
- Lescoe made a pair of free throws to push Hobart's lead to three with nine seconds left.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line to set a new program record. DiPietrantonio and Zignorski combined to make all seven of their attempts, while Cook and senior Ryan Coffey each made both of their attempts as the Ducks topped the previous program record set in 2017.
- Coffey led all players with 11 rebounds to help Stevens grab a 36-31 advantage on the glass. The senior forward was the only player to reach double figures in rebounds. The Monroe, New York native finished second on the team in rebounding last season. There were only two occasions last season where a Stevens player reached double-digits in rebounding.
- DiPietrantonio led a potent Stevens offense, making six of his nine field-goal attempts. The Ducks shot 26-of-58 (44.8%) from the field and held Hobart to 21-of-56 (37.5%).
- Hobart had the only fast-break basket of the day.
- The effective Stevens offense led to a 42-34 edge in points in the paint.
- Stevens committed four more turnovers than Hobart (24-20), leading to a 20-17 advantage for the Statesmen in points off turnovers.
- Freshman Colin MacCullough grabbed his first career rebound.
Unsung Heroes
- Cook and Mosca combined for seven steals.
From the Court
- "It was a battle for 40 minutes, but we just didn't make enough plays to come out on top. Credit to a very talented Hobart College team that made the necessary plays down the stretch to win. It's early in the season, so we will still have so many areas to improve on, but I'm happy with our team competed tonight." - head coach Bobby Hurley.
Up Next
- Stevens awaits the result of the second game of the evening, featuring Alvernia and hosting Franklin & Marshall, to learn of its opponent on Saturday.
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