HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 21, 2024) - Junior Jack Spellman scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and recorded five blocks, while first-year Tommy Scholl came up with clutch offensive and defensive plays at the end of the game, as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated #3 Arcadia 73-70 in the MAC Freedom Semifinals Wednesday night inside Canavan Arena.

The Ducks improved to 21-5 on the year. The Ducks have won nine of their last ten games. Stevens sweeps Arcadia on the year, going 3-0 against the Knights. The Knights finish the season 17-9. Stevens will head to Center Valley, Pa. to take on #1 DeSales in the Championship, with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Stevens jumped on the Knights from the start, scoring the first seven points in just 48 seconds. Spellman got going with his first basket that put the Ducks up 9-2. Up 12-7, graduate student Conor Coffey and senior Mike Goodall hit back-to-back buckets to give Stevens a nine point advantage. Graduate student Stephen Braunstein hit a tough jumper with 10:44 to go that put Stevens up seven. Later on, Scholl hit a triple, in part of a 9-0 run, that gave the Ducks a 13-point advantage. The visitors didn't go away though, as they answered the Ducks throughout the game. The Knights closed the half on a 18-3 run to take a 34-32 lead into the half.

Arcadia came out of the break and drilled a three, which gave them a five point lead. The Knight lead would jump to six with 18:04 to go. Braunstein made a three on the next possession for Stevens, but Arcadia responded with one of their own. With 13:44 to go, Arcadia took an 11-point lead, their largest of the game, which forced a timeout from head coach Bobby Hurley. From there, the Ducks looked like a different team, as the Ducks tied things up with an 11-0 run. Stevens would later go up 56-53 after four Spellman free throws. Spellman was a force down low the whole game, drawing plenty of fouls and getting to the line for 14 attempts on the night. The score read 56-56 before the two teams traded two triples each as the score was now deadlocked at 62. First-year Xander Singh made a layup on a nice feed by first-year Richard Machado with 3:05 to go that gave the Ducks a one point advantage. Arcadia would tie the game at 70 with 42 seconds remaining. Just 17 seconds later, Scholl hit a crucial three from the right wing that gave Stevens the lead. Arcadia would draw up a play out of a timeout, but Scholl foiled it, getting a steal to end the game, as the Ducks prevailed and advanced to the MAC Freedom Championship.

Top Performers

• Spellman also had two assists.
• Braunstein scored 14 and recorded three assists.
• Scholl scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, and stole the ball twice.
• Goodall added seven points.
• Singh scored six points and had three rebounds.
• Stevens shot 41.2 percent (21-51) from the field and 35.0 percent (7-20) from three. The Ducks also went 24-30 (80.0%) from the line.

The Opponent

• Justin Money scored 25 points and had six assists.
• Nas Johnson scored 18 points.
• Jalen Watkins scored 11 points and added four rebounds.
• Arcadia shot 43.4 percent (23-53) from the field and 52.4 percent (11-21) from three. They also went 13-16 from the free throw line (81.3%).

Around the MAC Freedom

• #4 Misericordia 67, #1 DeSales 83

Up Next: The Ducks will take on #1 DeSales in the MAC Freedom Championship on Saturday. Tip time is TBD. Stevens lost both matches against DeSales in the regular season. Links for live stats and video will be posted to stevensducks.com