GLENSIDE, Pa. (January 11, 2023) – Senior Conor Coffey finished with a team-high 12 points, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team couldn't overcome a first-half deficit in falling to Arcadia University 74-61 Wednesday night in a MAC Freedom matchup at Alumni Gymnasium.

Sophomore Jack Spellman finished with seven points and six rebounds and juniors Alex Ratner and Mike Goodall joined first-year Matt Leming with nine points for the Ducks, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in falling to 8-7 on the year and to 5-1 in conference play.

Jalen Watkins had a double-double with game-highs of 33 points and 13 rebounds and Nas Johnson added 18 points for Arcadia, who improved to 6-8 on the year and to 3-4 in league play. The Knights have alternated wins and losses over their last four contests. 

After the teams alternated the first eight points of the game, Arcadia went on the first run of the game, scoring eight straight points to take a 12-4 lead. Ratner stripped Johnson that led to a fast-break layup for first-year Brendan Coughlan to draw the Ducks back within six. 

Watkins would score on a driving layup before Coffey hit the Ducks' first 3-pointer of the game to trim the Ducks' deficit to five. A 6-0 run by Arcadia forced a Stevens timeout and the Ducks responded with five unanswered points, including a three-point play from senior Brett Bischoping that brought the Ducks to within six. 

The turning point came midway through the first half. After another Bischoping free throw that trimmed the Arcadia to seven with just under 10 minutes remaining in the opening period, the Ducks' shooting turned cold and Arcadia went on a 14-point run to take control of the contest. The lengthy stretch propelled Arcadia to a 20-point lead at the intermission.

Stevens finished the first half with just eight field goals, with Coffey's early three accounting for the Ducks' lone make from long distance over the first 20 minutes. Conversely, Arcadia made 14 of its 26 attempts from the floor. 

The Ducks turned the tables a bit in the second half - connecting on 15 of their 27 (55.6%) shots in outscoring Arcadia 38-31 over the final 20 minutes. Coffey scored on a fast-break layup to spark a 7-0 run for Stevens with Goodall accounting for the other five as the Ducks pulled to within 14. After a Stevens timeout, Watkins scored on a layup to push the margin back to 16 and sparked a seven-point swing that closed the door on a Stevens comeback.

Inside the Numbers

• Arcadia won the battle of the boards 38-30, although Stevens held a 9-7 edge on the offensive glass. The slight edge on the offensive boards led to a 13-4 edge in second-chance points for the Ducks.
• The Ducks forced 16 turnovers, while committing just 11. Goodall keyed the efforts with a game-high four steals.
• Arcadia' 74 points all came from the team's starting five. 
• Coffey paced the Ducks with four assists. 

Up Next

• Men's Basketball heads to Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Jan. 15 for a conference tilt at Lycoming, including last year's conference title game.
• The Ducks won three meetings between the programs last season in what were the first-ever meetings between the programs. 
• Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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