FREDERICK, Md. (December 2, 2023) – Junior Jack Spellman was perfect from the field and the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team shot over 50% from the floor for the second time this season, in defeating Hood College 85-66 Saturday in a Middle Atlantic Conference crossover matchup at the Volpe Athletic Center. 

Graduate student Stephen Braunstein led five Ducks in double figures with 18 points and classmate Conor Coffey filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven boards and five assists for the Ducks, who won their sixth straight to improve to 6-1.

Soren Almquist came off the bench with a team-high 14 points, while Justin Gielen and Garrison Linton each had 12, for Hood, who dropped to 5-2. Although the Blazers dropped an exhibition game at Division I American University, Saturday's setback in the first meeting between the teams, snapped Hood's three-game winning streak.

Stevens won the game on the strength of its shooting, finishing the game with a 51.9% field-goal percentage, the Ducks' second-best mark of the season. Perhaps more impressively, the Ducks did most of their damage from behind the arc, making 16 of their 30 (53.3%), including 11 of 19 in the first half. The 16 makes from long range, are the second-most by a MAC Freedom team this season and are also the most for Stevens since Nov. 15, 2016, when the Ducks made 22 in a 103-93 win at Kean. Braunstein paced the Ducks from behind the arc with five three-pointers, while sophomore Matt Leming came off the bench with four. 

The Rundown

• Spellman opened scoring on the Ducks' second possession of the game after catching a pass from first-year Xander Singh. Spellman finished the game a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor and is shooting an impressive 13 for 16 (81.3%) over his last three games and ranks third in the MAC Freedom (61.2) in field-goal percentage. The Westfield, New Jersey native also pulled down four rebounds.
• The teams traded the lead in the first half, with Hood holding a five-point lead – it's largest of the game – after Troy Fulton sank a long three to cap a 6-0 run. The Ducks cut into the Hood lead on a free throw from graduate student Tommy McGuire and a three from first-year Kyle Maddison.
• The lead ping-ponged between the teams with a rare four-point play from Almquist giving the hosts a 30-28 lead with under four minutes left in the half. Coffey immediately answered with his own basket from long distance, sparking a game-changing 15-point run. Each of the five baskets during the sequence came from behind the arc, with Coffey connecting for three and the other two coming courtesy of Braunstein.
• A pair of free throws on the last play of the opening half sent the teams into the intermission with the Ducks holding an 11-point lead.
• The Ducks' offensive firepower carried over into the second. Coffey fed Spellman for a dunk on the Ducks' first possession of the second half and the squad scored the first nine points of the second period to push the lead to 20. While the Ducks were opening their lead, they held Hood scoreless for the first 6:09 of the half. Combining the run from the latter stages of the first half, the Ducks outscored the Blazers 24-2 across a 10:18 stretch that bridged halftime.
• A Braunstein triple midway through the final half pushed the lead to a game-high 24 and Hood wouldn't get any closer than 15 points over the final 10 minutes. The Ducks' final seven points came from the line as Stevens crossed the 80-point plateau for the third time this season. 

Top Performers

• Stevens finished with a 36-30 edge on the boards with nine different players each snagging one. In addition to Coffey's season-high seven boards, Singh also grabbed seven to match a career high. Coffey led the Ducks' distribution efforts, while Maddison and senior Mike Goodall each had three.
• The Ducks finished with 18 assists on 27 baskets.
• Braunstein also nabbed a team-high two steals.
• Leming and Goodall each finished a game-high +21. Goodall also went 8 for 10 from the line. 

For the Opponents

• Hood finished with a 16-7 edge on the offensive glass, which led to a 23-12 edge in second-chance points. Almquist had four of the Blazers' offensive boards. 

Around the MAC Freedom 

• DeSales 68, Alvernia 63
• Albright 91, FDU-Florham 66
• Widener 89, Arcadia 63
• Eastern 67, Misericordia 66
• Delaware Valley @ York – later this evening

Up Next

• Stevens continues non-conference action on Tuesday, December 5, when the Ducks cross the Hudson to take on Brooklyn College. The Ducks have posted consecutive 10-point victories over the Bulldogs and have won the last five matchups in the all-time series. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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