MADISON, N.J. (February 15, 2022) – The Stevens Institute of Technology mens' basketball team shot fifty percent from the floor in the first half en route to a 63-48 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Tuesday in a MAC Freedom matchup at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
First-year
Jack Spellman notched his second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and junior
Matt Crowley recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists for the Ducks, who won their fourth straight game to move to 12-8 on the year and to 11-4 in MAC Freedom play. With the victory, Stevens locked up the #2 seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament and will host a quarterfinal matchup at Canavan Arena on Feb. 23.
Jamal Santana came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points to lead FDU-Florham, who dropped to 4-20 on the year and to 0-15 in conference play. FDU-Florham is locked into the play-in game and will play at King's on Feb. 21. The Devils have lost four straight.
Spellman had a quiet first half before erupting for nine points and seven rebounds in just 11 second-half minutes. The Westfield, New Jersey native finished 4 for 7 from the floor and made both of his 3-point attempts. Spellman went 2 for 2 from the line and led the team with a +34 rating. Seven of Spellman's game-high 10 rebounds were on the defensive end and the first-year forward also rejected four shots.
Crowley, who had a career-high 11 assists in his last contest at the Ferguson Center did most of his damage in the opening half, scoring seven points and dishing out six assists. The Westfield, New Jersey native also nabbed two steals in the opening period and pulled down three rebounds. The 10-assist outing is the second of Crowley's career and is tied for the second-highest by a MAC Freedom player this season.
A 14-0 first-half run broke the contest open for the Ducks. After FDU-Florham took its only lead of the game after a Matthew Johnson 3-pointer, graduate student
Alec DiPietrantonio converted a Spellman pass for an easy layup to put the Ducks back in front. Stevens would force seven straight misses by the home team, while connecting on three straight shots to open a double-digit lead. Junior
Conor Coffey sank a long three and graduate student
Maguire Sweeney scored twice in the paint to spark the run. DiPietrantonio finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Ducks' hot shooting continued throughout the opening period as Stevens finished 16 for 32 from the floor, including 5 for 12 from behind the arc. Graduate student
Matt LaCorte led the efforts from long range, making three of his six attempts in the first half and draining his only attempt in the second half to finish with nine points.
While the Ducks were on fire in the opening half, the Ducks were clamping down on FDU-Florham on the defensive end. The Devils made just eight of their 25 attempts from the floor and committed 11 turnovers. The Ducks also shared the ball, recording 11 assists on 16 first-half baskets.
Stevens began the second half with an 8-2 run to push their advantage to 20 points. The Ducks would use a 10-0 run late in the period to open a 25-point lead on a Spellman three.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens shot 45.3% from the floor, while holding FDU-Florham to 31.6. The Ducks have held 12 opponents under 35% shooting this season.
- The Ducks finished +12 in rebounding, grabbing eight on the offensive and 33 on the defensive end to finish with 41 boards. FDU-Florham totaled 29.
- Crowley scored four points from the line as Stevens shot 8 for 9 from the charity stripe. The third-year guard also nabbed a game-high three steals.
- The Ducks had a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint.
- Stevens did not allow a fast-break point.
- The Ducks trailed for just 15 seconds.
Unsung Hero
- Sweeney matched a season-high with seven points. The Summit, New Jersey native also pulled down three rebounds and handed out two assists.
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