HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 7, 2023) – Sophomore
Jack Spellman nearly posted a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated King's College 77-66 Saturday in a MAC Freedom matchup at Canavan Arena.
First-year
Matt Leming made five threes to finish with a game-high 19 points and junior
Mike Goodall posted his second career double-double for the Ducks, who won their second straight to improve to 8-6 on the year and to a perfect 5-0 in league play. The Ducks have won all five meetings between the teams.
Carmine Castiello came off the bench to score 14 points and Patrick Bennie also had 14 for the Monarchs, who dropped to 5-8 on the year and to 1-5 in the MAC Freedom. King's has alternated wins and losses over its last five games.
The Ducks started the game with a 10-0 run, with Leming and Goodall combining for three straight threes to open the scoring. After a Spellman free throw, King's finally got on the board with a three by Chris Patton at the 15:23 mark. During the run, the Ducks forced five missed shots to go along with a shot clock violation. The Ducks' early firepower ultimately proved too much to overcome for Kings as the Ducks would open as much as an 18-point lead in the opening half on another Leming triple in a game they'd lead from start to finish.
Stevens finished 14 for 30 from the floor in the first half, with seven of the makes coming from behind the arc. The Ducks added three more from behind the arc to finish with 10 3-pointers, marking the fourth game this season with double-digit baskets from long range.
Spellman proved to be a difference maker on both ends of the floor. The second-year forward was efficient from the floor, making six of his 11 shots, and pulled down 12 boards (four on the offensive end and eight on the defensive end) to post his sixth double-double of the season. Spellman also recorded five of his seven blocks in the first half and continues to rank among the conference and national leaders in blocks (3.79 per game).
After holding the Monarchs to just 22.2% shooting in the opening half, King's crawled back into the game, using a 9-0 run to pull within four with just under four minutes left in the contest. However, senior
Brett Bischoping found classmate
Conor Coffey for an open three on the Ducks' next possession to push the lead back to seven. Spellman added a pair of free throws to give the Ducks a nine-point lead.
Coffey would go a perfect 4 for 4 from the line in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory. The Monroe, New York native finished with 15 points for his sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens won the battle of the boards 41-26. The 26 rebounds for the Monarchs marked the lowest total by a Duck opponent this season.
- The Ducks out-earned King's 11-8 on the offensive glass, although each side had seven second-chance points.
- Goodall pulled down a career high 11 rebounds.
- Coffey had a team-high five assists as the Ducks registered an assist on 20 of their 24 baskets.
- The Ducks had an 11-3 edge in fast-break points, with all 11 coming in the first half.
- Coffey finished a team-high +21.
- Dating back to last season, the Ducks have won 10 straight regular season conference games.
From the Court - Head Coach Bobby Hurley
- "I thought we played really defensively in the first half. Those first-half stops led to some great transition baskets. We didn't have the same effort in the second half and that limited our transition opportunities."
Up Next
- Men's Basketball plays the first of two consecutive road games on Jan. 11 when the Ducks head to Glenside, Pennsylvania for a MAC Freedom matchup with Arcadia.
- The Ducks have won all three meetings between the programs.
- Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.
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