HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 29, 2020)  – Senior Spencer Cook netted a season-high 30 points to lead all players and junior Alec DiPietrantonio posted his ninth double-double of the year as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team returned to the win column with an 80-69 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Wednesday in a MAC Freedom contest at Canavan Arena.

Five different players scored exactly six points each for the Ducks, who shot 60.7 percent in improving to 14-4 on the year and 5-2 in conference play. The efficiency from the floor marked the highest shooting percentage for the team since shooting 61 percent in a 97-70 victory over Hartwick College on Jan. 8, 2019. Stevens improved to 13-5 all-time against the Devils, including 12 of the last 13. 

Oliver Ortman led FDU-Florham with 20 points, while Kenneth LaRocca added 19 points and four assists. The Devils dropped to 8-10 on the year and to 3-4 in MAC Freedom action. Stevens' victory snapped FDU-Florham's two-game winning streak.

Cook shot 12 of 16 from the floor, including 6 for 7 from behind the arc, en route to his third career performance with 30 or more points. The Washington Township, New Jersey native moved to within 55 points of 10th place on the program's career scoring list. Cook also pulled down seven rebounds, blocked a shot and handed out an assist. Cook's performance moved the senior into a tie atop the conference scoring leaderboard. 

With Cook propelling the offense, DiPietrantonio controlled the boards, pulling down 14 of Stevens' 39 rebounds. The junior center snagged three on the offensive glass and matched a career high with 11 on the defensive to help Stevens gain a 39-26 advantage on the glass. DiPietrantonio also shot 10 of 16 from the floor to finish with 20 points, marking his fourth game of the season with 20 or more points. He also blocked a pair of shots to move within seven of 100 career blocks.

Although Stevens entered the game eighth in the country in opposing field-goal percentage, it was FDU-Florham that reached the intermission with a 35-34 thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper by LaRocca. The sharp-shooting Ducks appeared to take control of the game early in the first half thanks to a 9-0 run, which was sparked by four straight made field goals, only to see FDU-Florham shoot 45.2 percent from the floor in gaining the slim lead at halftime.

The Ducks righted the defensive ship in the second half, clamping down on the FDU-Florham shooters. Over the game's final 20 minutes, the Ducks held the Devils to just 12 of 32 from the floor, including 5 of 16 from behind the arc. While the defensive effort kept the Devils in check, Stevens turned it up on the offensive end, making 18 of its 26 attempts in the second half, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, while closing the game on a 14-5 run. The Ducks sank four of their final five attempts from the floor.

The victory moved Stevens into a second-place tie with DeSales University, who fell at Eastern 71-68. Both the Ducks and the Bulldogs are a game behind the first-place Eagles, although Stevens currently owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with DeSales. Tonight's contest rounded out the first half of the MAC Freedom schedule.

Pivotal Point

• With FDU-Florham holding a 52-50 lead, the Ducks went on a 14-2 run to take control of the game.
• Senior JoJo Mosca sparked the sequence with a corner three and Cook followed with a three of his own to put Stevens back in front.
• Ortman made a pair of free throws before four straight jumpers gave the Ducks a 62-54 advantage.
• Over the stretch, the Ducks held the Devils without a field goal for 2:51.

Inside the Numbers

• The team's 34 made field goals marked a season-high.
• Freshman Matt Crowley handed out a game-high six assists. He needs 24 more assists to become the 13th player in program history to record 100 in a single season. 
• Graduate student Kevin Florio nabbed one steal to record the 100th of his career.
• Cook's six threes matched a career high.
• Stevens outscored FDU-Florham 10-6 in fast-break points.
• Each team notched seven second-chance points and the Ducks doubled FDU-Florham (44-22) in points in the paint.
• Stevens held Andy Fleurantin, who entered the game second in the conference in scoring (19.4) to just 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting, including 2 of 10 from behind the arc.

Unsung Hero

• Senior Tyler McShea went 3 for 3 from the floor in eight minutes of action, while nabbing one steal. The Hainesport, New Jersey native has made 16 of his 21 attempts from the floor and leads the team with a 0.762 shooting percentage. 

From the Court (Head Coach Bobby Hurley)

• "Happy with tonight's win, but, we are still struggling to put a full forty minutes together on both ends of the floor. We were much better in the second half on the defensive end and we shot the ball extremely well. Alec and Spencer were great. They were both consistent and able to score for us when we needed it the most."

Up Next

• Men's Basketball returns to Pennsylvania on Saturday, Feb. 1 for a return contest with Delaware Valley. The Ducks topped the Aggies 85-73 on Jan. 8 for the program's first MAC Freedom victory.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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