HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 19, 2019) – Senior
Ryan Coffey's buzzer-beating three-point attempt rimmed out as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell to Alfred University 78-75 in overtime Saturday in an Empire 8 Conference matchup at Canavan Arena.
Sage Brown tipped in a missed three-pointer to give Alfred a one-point advantage with 62 seconds remaining in the extra session. Sandwiched around a
Michael Zignorski layup, the Saxons went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to push their lead to three with just 12 seconds to play. However, the free throws allowed Stevens one final possession to force a second overtime. The Ducks took consecutive timeouts to set up the potential game-tying play in the frontcourt.
Zignorski began the final play with a pass to sophomore
Alec DiPietrantonio on the low block. The center briefly backed his defender down before ball-faking and finding Zignorski on the right wing. The Jefferson, New Jersey native dribbled to his left and moved to the top of the circle and pump faked before handing off to Coffey, who also threw a pump fake before firing an open three. The line drive shot hit both the front and back of the rim before falling off to the side to give Alfred the victory. It's the second time in three games that Stevens has fallen on the game's final play. The Ducks have been successful on two buzzer-beaters, with Zignorski beating FDU-Florham on Nov. 20 and DiPietrantonio stunning Elmira in overtime on Jan. 4.
Zignorski led the Ducks with 21 points and DiPietrantonio posted his third double-double in four games with 14 points and 10 rebounds as Stevens fell to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in league play. The setback snapped both Stevens' two-game winning streak and the Ducks' two-game winning streak in the series.
Dom LeMorta recorded a game-high 23 points for the Saxons and Sam Dagon came off the bench to add 15 as Alfred snapped its two-game losing streak. LeMorta recorded five threes on 10 attempts, including four in the second half as the Saxons rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit.
A back-and-forth affair for the most of the contest, the game featured 15 lead changes. The teams were nearly identical in points in the paint, second-chance points and fast-break points, while each team scored exactly 15 points off turnovers. Stevens used a 12-1 run wrapped around halftime to open an 11-point lead.
Inside the Numbers
- Alfred outshot Stevens, 42.9 percent to 41.3. The Ducks made nearly half of their first-half attempts (14-for-31) but only made nine of their 25 attempts in the second half and overtime.
- Each team made seven threes. Both sides also committed 16 turnovers.
- Alfred won the battle of the boards, 40-34, including a 14-11 advantage in the second half. It's just the first time Stevens has been outrebounded in consecutive games.
- Each shot 21 free throws. The Ducks sank 15 of their attempts, while the Saxons, made 16.
- DiPietrantonio blocked a career-high five shots. It's the most in any Empire 8 game this second and the second-most by any conference player this season. The five blocks are the most for any Duck since then-junior Thomas Cook blocked six shots against Ithaca on Jan. 17, 2017.
- Scotty Stopera handed out a game-high six assists. Zignorski led the Ducks with four.
Unsung Hero
- Coffey finished the game with 13 points and made three shots from behind the arc. The Monroe, New York native also pulled down four rebounds and handed out an assist.
From the Court
- "Rebounding was the key in [today's] game. Credit to Alfred as they crashed the glass and got timely offensive rebounds. In this game, those hustle plays made all the difference." - head coach Bobby Hurley
Up Next
- Stevens hits the road for a pair of key conference games at Utica and Elmira.
- The Ducks defeated Utica and Elmira at Canavan Arena earlier this season.
- Live stats and video links are available on StevensDucks.com.
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