GLENSIDE, Pa. (December 1, 2021)  – Junior Matt Crowley and first-year Jack Spellman hit key 3-pointers in the final minute to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 77-70 victory over Arcadia University Wednesday evening in a MAC Freedom matchup at Alumni Gymnasium. 

Junior Conor Coffey led four Ducks in double figures with 14 points and a career-high eight assists and graduate student Alec DiPietrantonio posted his 29th career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks, who won their third straight to improve to 3-3 on the year. The victory pushed the Ducks' conference record to 1-0, marking the fifth straight year that the program won its league opener. 

Justin Money finished with a game-high 17 points and Johaan Vinson came off the bench to score 16 points for the Knights, who fell to 0-8 on the year and to 0-1 in their first season in the MAC Freedom.

A Vinson jumper drew Arcadia even at 69 with just 70 seconds left in regulation, Crowley came around a DiPietrantonio screen to hit a three right in front of the Stevens bench. The long-distance basket was the Westfield, New Jersey native's second of the game. Crowley matched a season-high with 13 points. 

After a foul, Arcadia went 1 for 2 at the line, giving the Ducks the ball with a two-point lead with 37 seconds left in the contest. Coffey came around a Matt LaCorte screen and drew the defense away from Spellman. The third-year guard found Spellman wide-open on the right wing. Spellman calmly sank the triple for his third basket from behind the arc, pushing the Ducks' lead to five. Spellman finished with nine points and eight boards.

Arcadia attempted to answer, but Nas Johnson missed a fadeaway from the left elbow. LaCorte corralled the rebound and made a pair of free throws to secure the victory. 

Stevens shot a season-high 50% from the floor and was especially dialed in from long distance, making 12 of 23 attempts from behind the arc. The Ducks were especially red hot in the second half, making 13 of their 23 field-goal attempts over the game's final 20 minutes, including a remarkable 7 for 11 (63.6%) on 3-pointers, to total a season-high 40 second-half points. Among the nation's leaders in opponents' field-goal percentage, the Ducks held Arcadia under 40 percent from the floor in the first half in building a four-point advantage at halftime.

Inside the Numbers

• The Ducks won the battle of the boards, 38-31.
• Stevens scored four more second-chance points (12-8) than Arcadia, despite each side pulling down nine offensive rebounds.
• DiPietrantonio rejected three shots as the Ducks totaled seven blocks. Spellman added a pair of rejections and LaCorte matched a season-high with two. Arcadia had two rejections.
• The Ducks committed a season-low 12 turnovers. 
• Even with its long-distance prowess, Stevens finished with a 26-22 advantage in points in the paint. 
• Stevens has improved its 3-point shooting percentage in four straight games.

Unsung Hero

• Junior Brett Bischoping scored six points off the bench on a perfect 2 for 2 shooting, including his first career 3-pointer. He also grabbed three boards.

From the Court - Head Coach Bobby Hurley

• "Road wins are never easy, so I am happy that we found a way to win! Arcadia is a talented team that did a good job attacking the rim on us early. I thought we did a pretty good job adjusting in our zone to keep them out of the paint while challenging their shooters. Luckily, we got enough stops down the stretch and two big shots from Matt and Jack to pull away."

Up Next

• Men's basketball continues conference play on Dec. 4, when the Ducks welcome Lycoming College to campus for the first meeting between the programs.
• Live stats and video links are available on StevensDucks.com.

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