Newport News, Va. – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with Christopher Newport University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship on Friday night, falling to the 2023 National Champions by a score of 75-62.

Newly-honored All-MAC Freedom First Team selection Harmehar Chhabra capped a breakout season with his second 12-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double in just over two weeks, fellow First Team selection Tommy Scholl had 18 of his team-high 21 in the second half, and Second Team selection Kyle Maddison finished with nine points, five assists, and a pair of steals.

How It Happened
Both teams started slow, combining for 11 points through the first seven minutes, with Anthony Loscalzo scoring five of six for Stevens (18-10, 10-4), who held a one-point lead. The Captains took the lead and opened a 22-14 cushion at the 7:47 mark, but the all-conference trio put seven straight on the board, pulling the Ducks back within one less than 90 seconds later. CNU (22-5) added a free throw, but Maddison and Chhabra each made a basket, giving the Ducks their first lead in more than nine minutes. Five additional lead changes followed over the final four minutes, with Loscalzo and Chhabra (from three) each adding a bucket to keep Stevens close as the Captains carried a 33-30 lead into the half. Loscalzo and Chhabra combined for two-third of the Ducks' points in the opening 20, with the duo hitting more three's than the entire CNU team (4-3).

After conceding the opening basket of the second half, Stevens again came back strong, with Maddison and Sholl combining for six straight as the Ducks went back in front, 36-35, igniting a wild 3:05 sequence that featured four more lead changes and two ties.

Two layups from CNU put them up 48-44 and despite 12 points from Scholl over a 10-minute stretch, the Ducks drew no closer than eight points over the final nine minutes as Christopher Newport shot just over 48 percent in the second half while holding the Ducks under 35 percent.

Inside The Box Score

• Scholl finished the year with 510 points, the eighth-most in a single season in program history and second-most in the last 13 years (Spencer Cook, 540 in 2019-20). Scholl went for at least 20 points in 12 games this season.
• Chhabra finished the year with 137 assists, the seventh-most in a single season in program history and second-most since the 2008-09 season (Conor Coffey, 142 in 2023-24). Chhabra had at least six assists in 10 games this year, including three with 11.
• Matt Leming finished 1-of-3 from three-point territory, finishing the year at a 45.2 percent clip, tied for the seventh-best single season mark in program history. Leming made multiple three-pointers AND hit at least 40 percent in 14 games this season.

Up Next
The Ducks will return to the court in November of 2026 as they begin the quest for a fifth MAC Freedom Tournament Championship since 2020.

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