CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (February 14, 2023) – Junior Mike Goodall had a game-high 20 points, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell to DeSales University 61-54 Tuesday night in a MAC Freedom matchup at Billera Hall. 

Sophomore Jack Spellman recorded his third double-double in four games with 19 points and 14 rebounds and senior Conor Coffey had six points and a pair of assists for the Ducks, who lost their second straight to drop to 11-13 on the year and to 8-7 in conference play. The Ducks fell into a third-place tie with Arcadia, who held off Wilkes 78-75. Lycoming's 86-79 overtime victory over Misericordia clinched the second seed for the Warriors, who will play at Stevens on Feb. 18 in the regular-season finale. 

Nate Ellis and Christian Guldin each came off the bench to score 11 points to lead DeSales, who improved to 20-4 and to 14-1 in the MAC Freedom. The Bulldogs, who have won two straight, have already clinched the conference's regular-season title and the number one seed in the postseason tournament. 

After facing a double-digit deficit in the first half, the Ducks chipped away at their deficit and took their first lead of the game on junior Frank Gelfman's third career 3-pointer with 12:47 left in the second half. Baskets from junior Alex Ratner and first-year Brendan Coughlan pushed the Ducks' lead to three, but an 11-0 run by DeSales put the Bulldogs back in front for good.

The Ducks would again claw their way to within striking distance in the final minute on a 3-pointer from Spellman to pull within four, but after getting a stop on the defensive end, Coffey's driving layup rimmed out and the Bulldogs hit two free throws in the last 10 seconds to ice the victory.

DeSales got on the board from the opening tip, with Elijah Eberly scoring on a layup after the Bulldogs won the opening tip. After a turnover, Eberly had another layup to give the hosts a four-point lead. Coffey sank a pull-up jumper for the Ducks' first basket of the game, only for DeSales to answer with a long three. 

A 9-0 run for DeSales made the margin 12, before the Ducks responded with six straight points to cut into the lead. Spellman hit a short jumper to trim the margin to a single basket, but the Bulldogs answered with five straight points to send the teams into the intermission with a seven-point lead. 

Pivotal Point

• Coming out of a DeSales timeout with the Ducks holding a one-point lead, a controversial offensive foul returned the ball to DeSales.
• Ellis scored on a driving layup to put the Bulldogs back in front.

Inside the Numbers

• After DeSales shot 50% from the floor in the first half, the Ducks held the Bulldogs to just 36% in the second half.
• The Bulldogs held a slim 36-32 edge on the boards, including 10-8 advantage on the offensive glass. 
• Neither team had a fast-break point.
• Spellman blocked two shots. He leads the conference with 3.2 blocks per game and is tied for second in rebounding (9.9).
• Goodall, Coughlan and first-year Matt Leming each nabbed a steal.
• The Ducks' efforts held DeSales nearly 14 points below its season average. 

Up Next

• Men's Basketball returns home on Feb. 18 for the regular-season finale with Lycoming. 
• The Ducks are 3-1 all-time against the Warriors, including a perfect 2-0 in Canavan Arena.
• Prior to the game, the men's basketball program will honor its Class of 2023 in a pregame ceremony. 
• Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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