HOBOKEN, N.J. (December 8, 2021)  – Junior Conor Coffey was the only player to reach double figures, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell to No. 25 DeSales University 64-44 Wednesday night in a MAC Freedom matchup at Canavan Arena.

Coffey totaled 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting, while also recording a pair of assists, for Stevens, who saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. The Ducks fell to 4-4 on the year and to 2-1 in conference play.

Dat Lambert had nine points and Christian Guldin came off the bench to pull down a game-high 12 boards for the nationally-ranked Bulldogs, who won their ninth straight game. DeSales improved to 9-0 on the year and to 3-0 in MAC Freedom play. The victory snapped Stevens' two-game winning streak in the series.

The Ducks connected on two of their first three shots to jump out to an early lead. Graduate student Alec DiPietrantonio converted an offensive rebound after Stevens won the opening tip to open the scoring. Following a missed layup, the Ducks got out in transition and Coffey hit a three after a nifty feed from junior Matt Crowley.

Stevens would open up as much as an eight-point lead after a layup from first-year Jack Spellman four minutes into the contest. The Ducks would maintain an advantage throughout the first half until an 8-0 run sent the teams into halftime with DeSales holding a 28-24 lead.

Crowley opened second-half scoring with a short jumper to bring the Ducks back within two, but a 9-0 run pushed DeSales' advantage to 11. The Ducks struggled from the floor over the final 20 minutes, making just six field goals in the second half, including one 3-pointer. Conversely, DeSales shot 15 for 36 (41.7%) from the floor over the same time frame.

Pivotal Point

• With DeSales clinging to a 26-24 lead, Matt Kachelries hit a short jumper just before the first-half buzzer sounded to cap an 8-0 run that turned a 24-20 Stevens lead into an four-point halftime lead for DeSales

Inside the Numbers

• DeSales outshot Stevens 37.7%-28.6%.
• The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards, 47-39, including an 18-13 advantage on the offensive glass. Although the Ducks were outrebounded on the offensive boards, they held a 17-14 edge in second-chance points.
• DeSales had a 14-3 edge in fast-break points.
• Kachelries finished with a game-high six assists.
• DiPietrantonio led the Ducks with 11 rebounds. 
• Junior Peter White made his season debut, while sophomores Matthew Coletti and Frank Gelfman and first-year Jack Lidtka each made their collegiate debuts.
• Junior Andrew Abujawdeh scored his first points of the season with a second-half layup.

Up Next

• Men's basketball resumes non-conference play on Dec. 12, when the Ducks travel to Vermont to take on Middlebury.
• The teams have split their only two meetings, including a 76-66 decision on Dec. 8, 2019.
• Live stats and video links are available on StevensDucks.com.

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