HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 20, 2023) – Sophomore
Jack Spellman finished one block shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated Misericordia University 69-62 in the MAC Freedom Tournament play-in game at Canavan Arena.
Senior
Conor Coffey had 21 points and a career-high nine assists and junior
Mike Goodall finished with 11 points and eight boards for the Ducks, who won their second straight to improve to 13-13 on the year. Stevens improved to a perfect 6-0 all-time in the MAC Freedom Tournament, including victories over Misericordia in each of the last two postseasons. The Ducks advance to play top-seeded DeSales Wednesday in the semifinal round.
Kevin Lazdowsky had a game-high 22 points and Derek Smith added 16 for Misericordia, who concluded its season at 13-13. The Cougars lost three of their last four games.
After a quiet first half where Spellman was held scoreless, the Westfield, New Jersey native was an unstoppable force in the second half. Spellman had 18 points and seven rebounds over the game's final 20 minutes while also blocking eight shots. He hit all six attempts from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers. The double-double was his 10th of the season.
Beginning the second half with the teams tied at 31, it was Misericordia that got off to a fast start, scoring on four straight possessions to open an eight-point lead. After a timeout, the Ducks answered with 11 straight points to jump back in front. Spellman began the run with a layup, which was followed by a turnaround jumper by Coffey. First-year
Matt Leming drained a three to keep the run going, with baskets by Spellman and first-year
Brendan Coughlan forcing a Misericordia timeout. Coughlan proved to be a key contributor, scoring nine points with three boards and finishing a game-high +14.
Following the timeout, Spellman hit a long three to spark a quick 8-0, where the Ducks scored on three straight trips down the floor, with sophomore
Jack Liedtka's three pushing the lead to 54-46 and forcing another Misericordia timeout.
After claiming the eight-point lead, the Ducks would maintain at least a five-point advantage over the final 9:35 in closing out the victory. Seven of Spellman's nine rejections took place over the final eight minutes of the contest, with the Ducks allowing just 16 points.
Smith kept Misericordia in the game in the first half, making four of his six threes to score 14 points. However, the Ducks did not allow Misericordia's sharp-shooter to get comfortable in the second half, holding Smith without a field goal. Smith's first-half efforts were matched by Coffey, who shot 6 for 8 from the field, including 2 for 3 from behind the arc, to total 16 points.
Pivotal Point
- With Stevens leading by six with just under two minutes left in regulation, Spellman blocked a pair Matt Prociak layups.
- Following the second block, Prociak was assessed a flagrant foul that led to a pair of free throws for Spellman.
- Spellman went 1 for 2 from the line, but followed the missed free throw with a dunk coming off a perfect lob pass from Coffey to push the Ducks' lead back to nine.
Inside the Numbers
- The Ducks held Misericordia to just 33.3% shooting. However, half (11) of Misericordia's baskets (22) were from long range. This led to a 26-16 edge for Stevens in points in the paint.
- The Ducks shot a blistering 52% (13 of 25) in the second half.
- Misericordia held a slim 42-40 edge on the boards, including a 13-9 edge on the offensive glass. Despite Misericordia being +4 on the offensive boards, Stevens held a 9-7 edge in second-chance points.
- Each team finished with six steals.
Up Next
- Men's Basketball heads to Center Valley, Pennsylvania on Feb. 22 to take on top-seeded DeSales in a MAC Freedom semifinal
- Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com once they are made available.
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