Newark N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc in the second half and overtime, knocking off Rutgers-Newark 81-78 Sunday afternoon at The Golden Dome.
Jack Spellman dropped a season-high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five blocks;
Kyle Maddison added 18 points and four assists,
Tommy Scholl and
Mike Goodall each had 14 points, and
Brendan Coughlan added seven and a career-high 10 rebounds for Stevens.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Spellman had the Ducks first four points, as the Scarlet Raiders took an early 7-4 lead. Coughlan, making his first career start, made it 7-6 with a layup and a Goodall three-pointer put Stevens (5-2) up 9-7, but Rutgers-Newark answered with nine straight, seizing a 16-9 advantage.
Scholl put an end to the run with a right-wing three and three Spellman free throws pulled the Ducks back to within 18-15. After a Rutgers-Newark (4-3) layup, a Spellman jumper and layup from Coughlan after a pair of offensive rebounds forced a Scarlet Raiders timeout with their lead down to a single point at the 7:25 mark.
After four straight from the Scarlet Raiders pushed the margin back to five, the Ducks trimmed the lead back to three on four occasions over the final five minutes, but drew no closer, with Rutgers-Newark holding a 30-27 at the half.
The Scarlet Knights opened the second half with a three-pointer, but Goodall answered with one of his own seconds later and Maddison knocked down threes on back-to-back possessions, giving the Ducks their first lead since 9-7, forcing a Rutgers-Newark timeout.
Maddison's offensive prowess continued out of the timeout, answering a pair of Scarlet Knight baskets with a lay-up and a three-pointer, keeping the Ducks in front, 43-39. Two Rutgers-Newark free throws were quickly answered with a Scholl three-pointer and layup on back-to-back possessions, coercing a second timeout from the Scarlet Raiders in less than four minutes as Stevens suddenly had its biggest lead of the day at 48-41.
Layups from Goodall and
Lucas Green, plus two Maddison free throws pushed the run to 11 straight points before a Scarlet Knights' three pulled the home team back within 10, 54-44.
The Ducks still led by nine, 62-53, at the 6:19 mark, but went scoreless over the following 2:52 as Rutgers-Newark stormed back for a 63-62 lead. Spellman sandwiched two free throws and a three-point play around a Scarlet Knights' three, putting Stevens up 68-66 with 2:37 left in regulation. After Rutgers-Newark took the lead back on a shot clock-beating three, Spellman made one of two from the foul line to tie it with 1:17 left.
Each side failed to score down the stretch, sending the game to overtime. After the Scarlet Knights failed to score on the first possession of the extra session, the two sides traded baskets on each of the next five possessions, with a Maddison pull-up, a Scholl layup, and a Maddison three-pointer putting the Ducks up 76-74. Spellman made it 78-74 with a layup at the 2:12 mark.
Coughlan kept the Ducks in front with a layup as Rutgers-Newark cut it to 80-78 with 38 seconds left. After a Scarlet Raiders' left corner three for the lead rimmed out, Spellman grabbed the rebound to complete the double-double and made one of two at the foul line with 1.2 seconds left and the desperation attempt for Rutgers-Newark at the buzzer fell short.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stevens improved to 9-8 in the all-time head-to-head against Rutgers-Newark with its fifth straight win in the series.
- Coughlan earned the start for the first time in his collegiate career.
- Spellman notched his sixth straight double-double, averaging nearly four blocks per contest during that stretch.
- Maddison finished with four three-pointers, and has made at least two in all seven games this season.
FROM THE COURT (Head Coach Bobby Hurley)
"It's always a battle with Rutgers-Newark. They are well coached and they play hard. I was happy that we withstood their runs and we really locked down defensively in overtime."
UP NEXT
With their four-game road stretch complete, the Ducks will play their next four games at Canavan Arena, starting next Saturday against Widener at 1 pm
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