CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (February 2, 2022)  – First-year Jack Spellman matched a program record with eight blocks, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell to DeSales University 63-51 Wednesday evening in a MAC Freedom contest at Billera Hall Gymnasium.

Junior Matt Crowley had a team-high 13 points and graduate student Alec DiPietrantonio had nine points and 13 rebounds for the Ducks, who dropped their second straight to fall to 8-8 on the year and to 7-4 in league play. Stevens sits in third place in the conference standings, a game behind Lycoming and a game ahead of Delaware Valley. The Ducks hold the tiebreaker with the Warriors after sweeping the season series.

Dat Lambert scored 12 of his game-high 14 points in the second half to lead DeSales, who won its second straight to improve to 18-2 on the year and 10-1 in conference play. Timmy Edwards added seven points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs, who lead Lycoming by 2.5 games.

Spellman, who also posted his fourth career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, blocked four shots in each half to match men's basketball alumnus, and current assistant coach, Michael Collins' performance against New York University on Jan. 2, 2004. The first-year forward leads the conference in blocks (2.4) per game and ranks 18th in Division III. The Ducks totaled 10 blocks in the contest and have moved into 10th place in the country in blocks per game. 

Junior Conor Coffey had the game's first basket, scoring on a short pull-up jumper to give the Ducks an early advantage. The Monroe, New York native would add a fast-break layup after Spellman's first block of the game to give the Ducks a 5-0 lead.

Keba Mitchell sank a free throw to put DeSales on the board, but a stout Ducks' defense didn't allow a field goal until 4:24 into the contest. For the game, Stevens held DeSales to 32.8% shooting (22 for 67) and moved into third place in Division III, in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 36.1% for the season. 

The first half was a nip-and-tuck affair, with neither side opening more than a six-point lead. Each team made 11 field goals and exactly three free throws; DeSales made two more 3-point baskets than the Ducks over the first 20 minutes to hold a slim two-point lead entering the intermission. DeSales had opened a 23-17 lead on a Lambert jumper, but the Ducks outscored the Bulldogs 8-4 over the final seven minutes. DiPietrantonio matched Crowley with six first-half points, while also grabbing eight boards. 

The second half saw DeSales jump out to a 15-3 run to push its lead to double figures, with Lambert scoring 9 of the 15 from behind the arc. The Ducks were unable to trim into deficit, with DeSales limiting the Ducks' second-chance opportunities. After turning eight offensive boards into seven second-chance points in the first half, nearly matching DeSales (9) in the statistic, the Ducks only scored one second-chance point in the second half. The Bulldogs made seven free throws over the final two minutes to seal the victory.

Pivotal Point

• Lambert sandwiched a pair of threes around two Matt Kachelries free throws to turn DeSales' two-point halftime lead into a double-digit one just 90 seconds into second-half play.

Inside the Numbers

• Each team had 26 points in the paint.
• DeSales sank 11 field goals in each half.
• The Bulldogs held a 47-39 edge in rebounding, including a 20-13 margin on the offensive end.
• Four of DiPietrantonio's 13 boards were on the offensive end. The Ocean City, New Jersey native is averaging just under seven offensive boards over his last three contests.
• Crowley had a team-high three assists. 

Unsung Hero

• Graduate student David Dixon grabbed four rebounds and made his only field-goal attempt over seven minutes.

From the Court - Head Coach Bobby Hurley

• "I thought we played really well in the first half, but we didn't come out of the locker room with that same energy and focus to start the second half. DeSales took advantage of our mistakes and they did a really good job of limiting our offense around the rim."

Up Next

• Men's basketball resumes MAC Freedom play on Feb. 5 against King's in Canavan Arena.
• The game will mark the Ducks' first home contest with fans since Dec. 8.
• The Ducks received a forfeit win over the Monarchs on Jan. 5 per the Middle Atlantic Conference's forfeit policy at the time. 
• Stevens is 3-0 all-time against King's, including a sweep of the 2019-20 season series.
• Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.

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