NEWARK, N.J. (December 1, 2019)  – Junior Alec DiPietrantonio posted his second double-double of the season with 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team over Rutgers-Newark 62-58 Sunday in a non-conference matchup at the Golden Dome Athletic Center.

Senior Spencer Cook poured in a team-high 14 points and freshman Matt Crowley filled the stat sheet with nine points, four rebounds and three steals as the Ducks improved to 6-0. The six straight wins to start the season match the best start under 12th-year head coach Bobby Hurley. The victory snapped Rutgers-Newark's two-game winning streak in the series and is the first victory over the Scarlet Raiders in Newark in at least the last 20 years.

Chase Barneys led all players with 23 points and B.J. Honis came off the bench to add 10 for the Scarlet Raiders, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in falling to 4-2. However, despite Barneys' offensive exploits, a crucial play on the defensive end helped seal the victory for the Ducks. 

Leading by five with 80 seconds left in the game, the Ducks were in a bit of a scramble after a jump ball interrupted their possession with just 10 seconds left on the shot clock. DiPietrantonio found Cook in the left corner for a three with just one second left on the 30-second clock. The Scarlet Raiders' Mike Vick closed out on the Ducks' leading scorer, but ran into Cook and sent him sprawling on the floor and was called for the foul. Cook completed the four-point play to give Stevens a nine-point advantage.

Rutgers-Newark would hit a pair of threes to keep it close, but Crowley sank four free throws in the final 23 seconds to preserve the victory. The Ducks converted each of their last nine attempts from the line.

DiPietrantonio pulled down nearly half (15) of Stevens' 34 rebounds. The junior center outrebounded Rutgers-Newark on the offensive glass, 8-7. The Mount Laurel, New Jersey native collected his 12th career double-double and added a pair of blocks in the defensive contest. The Ducks lead the MAC Freedom in scoring defense and field-goal defense, holding opponents to 65.7 points per game on 37.4 percent shooting. DiPietrantonio ranks second in the conference with 8.8 rebounds per game and leads the MAC Freedom with 2.5 blocks per game.

Pivotal Point

• Barneys sank a three to tie the score at 49 with just over three minutes left in regulation. 
• Barneys then fouled senior Michael Zignorski after a handoff.
• The Jefferson, New Jersey native sank both free throws to put Stevens back in front.
• Vick tried to find Quincy Rutherford on the left wing on the Scarlet Raiders' next possession, but threw the ball away to return possession back to the Ducks.
• Up two, DiPietrantonio found Crowley coming off a Zignorski screen for a three from the left wing right in front of the Stevens bench to push the lead to five.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens shot a season-low 35 percent from the floor. However, the Ducks made nine threes, the team's second-highest total of the season.
• Stevens' nine threes came from seven different players. Cook finished with three triples, while Zignorski, Crowley, seniors Dylan Walsh, Kevin Florio and JoJo Mosca joined junior Maguire Sweeney with one.
• The Ducks went 17 for 23 from the line, while Rutgers-Newark only two took two attempts from the line.
• Behind DiPietrantonio, the Ducks held a 34-31 edge on the boards, including a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The margin on the offensive boards helped Stevens gain an 11-2 edge in second-chance points.
• A back-and-forth affair throughout, the lead changed 10 times and the teams were tied on nine different occasions. 
• The Ducks forced 15 turnovers, while committing 14. 

Unsung Hero

• Of Cook's 14 points, eight came during a 12-2 run that turned a seven-point deficit into a three-point lead in the latter stages of the second half.

From the Court (Head Coach Bobby Hurley)

• "Great win today! Rutgers-Newark is one of the tougher places to play and we faced some adversity, but found a way to get it done. I'm really pleased with how this team continues to improve each day in practice and game to game."

Up Next

• Men's Basketball travels to Brooklyn, New York for a non-conference matchup with Brooklyn College. 
• The Ducks have won the last three meetings between the teams, including a 72-62 victory last season in Canavan Arena. The contest marks the final non-conference game of the season away from Hoboken.
• Links for live stats and video are currently unavailable, but will be posted to StevensDucks.com as soon as they are made available.

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