DALLAS, Pa. (February 8, 2020)  – Senior Spencer Cook scored 12 points to move into the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball all-time top-10 in career scoring as the Ducks defeated Misericordia University 73-59 Saturday in a MAC Freedom contest played at the Anderson Sport Center.

Cook finished 4 for 10 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from behind the arc, while making a pair of free throws, to bring his career total to 1,183. The Washington Township, New Jersey native moved ahead of Russ Thompson, who accumulated 1,179 points during his four seasons on Castle Point (2009-13). Virgil Gray is the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,747 points. If Cook maintains his current 19.6 points per game average, the senior guard will finish the season with 1,261 points to move into seventh place. Cook currently leads the MAC Freedom in scoring and has been even better in conference play, increasing his scoring average to over 20 points per game. 

Junior Alec DiPietrantonio posted his 11th double-double of the year with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Matt Crowley returned to the starting lineup and filled the stat sheet with a career-high 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal as the Ducks won their fourth straight to improve to 17-4 on the year and 8-2 in conference play. The Ducks remain tied with Eastern and DeSales atop the conference standings. Stevens swept the season series with Misericordia.

Noah Rivera scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead Misericordia, who fell to 7-14 on the year and 3-7 in MAC Freedom contests. The Cougars have dropped three straight.

After winning the opening tip, Rivera opened the scoring with a layup. The two-point advantage was one of just two leads for the home team on the afternoon. The Ducks quickly responded with consecutive layups of their own with DiPietrantonio and Crowley scoring 24 seconds apart to put Stevens in front.

Tony Harding netted the first of his two three-pointers on the afternoon to put the Cougars back in front, however consecutive threes by Crowley and Cook put Stevens back in front for good.

Stevens finished the day with 10 three-pointers and shot 40.6 percent from the floor in the opening half to open up as much as an 18-point lead. A late three from Misericordia's Nate Kreitzer sent the teams into the intermission with the Ducks holding a 15-point advantage.

The Ducks' sharp-shooting ways continued in the second half, where Stevens sank 14 of its 29 field-goal attempts to build a 23-point lead on three different occasions, including the first career three-pointer by senior Tyler McShea.

Rivera made the first of two free throws to trim Stevens' lead to 12, but consecutive points in the paint from Cook and graduate student Kevin Florio pushed the Ducks' lead back to a comfortable 16 points. Florio finished with eight points and three rebounds.

Pivotal Point

• Leading 14-10, the Ducks went on a 20-7 run over the next 12 minutes to take a commanding 34-17 lead. 
• Five different players scored over the run, with Cook converting a four-point play to spark the sequence.
• During the stretch, the Ducks forced Misericordia into 14 missed shots and five turnovers.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens outshot Misericordia, 44.3 percent to 35.1. The Ducks have held nine of the 21 opponents under 36 percent from the floor and remain among the nation's leaders in field-goal defense.
• The Ducks made 10 of their 23 attempts from behind the arc. The Cougars made nine threes, but needed 29 attempts to do so.
• Behind DiPietrantonio, the Ducks won the battle of the boards, 41-38, and although Misericordia held a 9-8 advantage on the offensive glass, it was Stevens that posted a 14-11 margin in second-chance points.
• Four different players hit double figures for Stevens. 
• The Ducks had an 11-1 advantage in fast-break points.
• Florio finished with a game-high three steals to bring his career total to 105.
• Senior JoJo Mosca recorded the Ducks' only block.
• Senior Michael Zignorski matched a program record with a perfect 6 for 6 performance from the free throw line.
• McShea's three-pointer was also his first career attempt from behind the arc.

Unsung Hero

• Crowley returned to the starting lineup and finished 5 of 6 from the field over 22 minutes. 

From the Court (Head Coach Bobby Hurley)

• "I thought we played really well to open each half, but at times, our execution was not good. It was nice to have multiple guys in double figures and we had very good contributions off the bench."

Up Next

• Men's Basketball heads to Center Valley, Pennsylvania for the second of two meetings with DeSales University on Feb. 12. The Ducks topped the Bulldogs 72-67 on Jan. 22 for Stevens' first-ever victory over DeSales.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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