WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (January 22, 2022)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Lycoming College 66-61 Saturday in a MAC Freedom matchup at Lamade Gymnasium.

Fresh off scoring his 1,000th career point, graduate Alec DiPietrantonio posted his seventh double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Ducks, who won their third straight to improve to 7-6 on the year and to 6-3 in league play. The Ducks swept the season series with Lycoming and are tied with the Warriors in second place in the MAC Freedom standings. DiPietrantonio also finished with a season-high five blocks.

Mo Terry had a double-double of his own with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Warriors, who dropped to 11-7 on the year and to 6-3 in the MAC Freedom. Lycoming has alternated wins and losses over its last four contests.

Although Lycoming won the opening tip, DiPietrantonio scored the game's first basket, hitting a short jumper in the paint to give the Ducks an early two-point advantage. DiPietrantonio and graduate student Matt LaCorte kept the Ducks in the contest in the first half, scoring 22 of the Ducks' 32 points in the frame.

Following DiPietrantonio's basket, Lycoming went on an 11-2 run with Matt Ilodigwe hitting a pair of long threes to spark the stretch. The Warriors would hit 7 of their 17 attempts from behind the arc in the first half, however, a concerted effort by the Ducks to defend the three, forced Lycoming into a 2 for 18 performance in the second half. 

Lycoming would open as much as a nine-point lead in the opening stanza before the Ducks began to climb back into the contest. Sophomore Mike Goodall sank a pair from the line and LaCorte and DiPietrantonio sank consecutive jumpers to pull the Ducks within one with a little over two minutes left in the first half.

LaCorte and Terry exchanged threes in the final minute before first-year Jack Spellman sent the squads into the intermission with the Ducks down four after connecting on a second-chance layup. The Westfield, New Jersey native finished with 12 rebounds for the third time this season.

Lycoming found early success in the second half. Mavin James hit a pair of short jumpers and Stevens Hamilton added a basket as Lycoming opened a 10-point lead at 44-34 four minutes into the frame.

The Ducks began to climb back into the game and used a 15-2 run to overtake the Warriors with just over eight minutes left in regulation. Five different players scored during the sequence, and the Ducks held the Warriors scoreless for over six minutes.

After jumping in front, Goodall would connect on a long three and junior Conor Coffey would hit a short jumper as the Ducks held on to a five-point advantage. 

Terry would hit a pair of free throws and Lycoming would have a chance to force overtime but James missed a three, which Stevens rebounded. Spellman sank a pair of free throws sandwiched around a Lycoming timeout to seal the victory.

Pivotal Point

• Lycoming had a chance to force overtime, getting the ball into the frontcourt with 15 seconds left in regulation.
• James quickly fired up a three from the left wing that clanked off the rim.
• Spellman rebounded the carom, his eighth of the half, and was quickly fouled.

Inside the Numbers

• The Ducks held Lycoming to 30.8% shooting in the contest, including 24.2% (8 for 33) in the second half. Stevens leads the conference in field-goal defense, holding opponents to 37.2% from the floor.
• Each team pulled down 44 rebounds. 
• Stevens blocked a season-high 10 shots, the most for the team since Jan. 3, 2015, when the Ducks blocked 11 against Houghton.
• Coffey finished with a team-high four assists. 
• The Ducks outscored Lycoming 38-18 in the paint and 9-4 on the fast break.
• Stevens turned 14 Lycoming turnovers into 16 points.
• DiPietrantonio finished a game-high +14. He also drew six fouls.

Unsung Hero

• Goodall finished with 10 points, helping the Ducks to a 17-3 advantage in points from the bench. He also finished with four boards and handed out an assist.

From the Court - Head Coach Bobby Hurley

• "I couldn't be happier with how our team competed today. To win on the road against a really talented and well coached Lycoming team is not easy."
• "I thought Alec really anchored our defense today, and offensively, he was great as well. We fed off his energy and our group got the defensive stops and made the tough plays down the stretch to win."

Up Next

• Men's basketball continues MAC Freedom play on Jan. 26 against Arcadia in Canavan Arena.
• The Ducks defeated the Knights 77-705 on Dec. 1 in the Keystone State. The Ducks are 2-0 all-time against Arcadia.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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