CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Kyle Maddison, Mike Goodall, and Brendan Coughlan all had 13 points for the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team Wednesday, but strong shooting from DeSales in the second half proved to be just enough in a 75-67 Bulldogs' win in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After the teams traded a pair of scoreless possessions to start the game, Coughlan answered a DeSales pull-up and three-pointer with a layup and three-pointer of his own. Goodall put the Ducks up 7-5 and 9-7 with a pull-up and a layup, respectively, but DeSales reeled off 11 in a row before Matt Leming ended a 4+ minute scoring drought for the Red and Gray, knocking down three free throws after being fouled beyond the arc.

With DeSales up 22-12 just shy of the midway mark of the half, a Coughlan layup and Anthony Loscalzo three halved the deficit before each side went scoreless for nearly two minutes. The Bulldogs ended the joint drought and pushed their lead back to 10, 27-17, before two Goodall buckets plus a free throw again sliced the Ducks' deficit in half.

At the 5:00 mark, with DeSales up 29-22, a Logan Scott free throw, Harmehar Chhabra three, and a Maddison layup pulled Stevens (16-6, 8-3 MACF) within a single point, but DeSales responded with the last five out of the half, carrying a 34-28 cushion to the locker room; the Bulldogs finished the opening 20 minutes +8 on the glass (21-13).

Coughlan and Maddison opened the second half with three's, knotting things at 34. After trading three's, DeSales went up 41-37, but a Maddison step back and Jack Spellman three-pointer gave Stevens its first lead of the night with 14:46 remaining. Goodall extended the lead with a floater then, after a DeSales free throw, Tommy Scholl knocked down his second three of the half, pushing the margin to five, 47-42.

The lead was trimmed to a single point, but a Coughlan three kept Stevens in front, 50-46, just shy of the nine-minute mark; DeSales worked its way back, leveling the contest at 50 with 8:07 left.

From 6:52 to 5:30, the teams combined for baskets on six straight possessions, Stevens taking a 58-57 lead on a Chhabra three-point play. After DeSales re-took the lead, 60-58, Spellman tied it with a layup at the 4:15 mark, but DeSales put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run that stretched more than three minutes, the Ducks unable to pull closer than five the rest of the way. DeSales shot 56 percent from the floor and 55 percent from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes after failing to break 40 percent in either in the first half.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Spellman finished with seven points and 14 rebounds -- 12 of those coming in the second half --, and four blocks
• Stevens finished the game -4 on the glass, just the fourth time this season it did not win the battle on the boards.
• For the first time in their last seven games, the Ducks forced fewer than 10 turnovers on the defensive end.

UP NEXT
Stevens returns to the Keystone State Saturday, February 15, for a 3 pm tip against King's.
 
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