HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 8, 2022) – Four different players reached double figures, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team fell to Misericordia University 77-67 Saturday in a MAC Freedom matchup at Canavan Arena.
Graduate Alec DiPietrantonio posted his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds and junior Conor Coffey finished with a game-high 16 points for the Ducks, who fell to 4-6 on the year and to 3-2 in league play.
Elijah Rosenthal poured in a game-high 23 points and Derek Smith (17 points and 10 rebounds) and Nate Kreitzer (13 points and 10 assists) each had a double-double for Misericordia, who snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-8 on the year and 3-3 in the MAC Freedom.
Joining DiPietrantonio and Coffey in reaching double figures were junior Andrew Abujahdeh (season-high 11 points) and sophomore Mike Goodall. It marked the third time this season that at least four Ducks finished in double digits.
A long Goodall three opened scoring after the teams traded misses to begin play, however, the Cougars scored on three straight possessions to take a 15-7 lead. Graduate student Maguire Sweeney sank his only basket of the contest to help Stevens chip away at its early deficit before the Ducks pulled within three on a Goodall fast-break layup.
Misericordia’s 3-point shooting allowed the Cougars to open up a first-half lead. The Cougars shot 5 for 9 (55.6%) from behind the arc to enter the intermission with a three-point lead after connecting on a pair of short jumpers in the last 90 seconds to reclaim the lead. Stevens had jumped in front 30-29 on a second-chance layup by graduate student David Dixon.
The pace picked up in the second half with each side increasing its points per possession by more than 25%. Abujawdeh provided an offensive lift off the bench in the second half, scoring 10 of his 11 points in the stanza, while DiPietrantonio also did most of his damage in the final stanza, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks over the final 20 minutes.
A gritty effort helped the Ducks chip away at a double-digit deficit in the second half, forcing 10 turnovers to twice pull within a single possession, however the Ducks were never able to reclaim the lead. The Cougars would hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Pivotal Point
- After trimming a double-digit deficit down to just three points after a Coffey driving layup, the Ducks forced an awkward floater by Joseph Baldachino to get the ball back with just under two minutes in regulation.
- After grabbing the rebound, Coffey lost his footing and appeared to call timeout to save the possession, however, the timeout was granted and Misericordia reclaimed possession.
- Kreitzer connected for his final 3-pointer of the game to push the Cougars’ lead to six.
Inside the Numbers
- Misericordia finished 25 of 60 from the floor (41.7%), while the Ducks finished 25 of 69 (36.2%). The Ducks made exactly 25 baskets for the second straight contest.
- The Ducks held a 44-38 edge on the boards, including a 16-7 margin on the offensive glass. The 16 offensive rebounds are a season high and are the most for the team since the Ducks pulled down 16 against then-No. 4 Middlebury on Dec. 8, 2019.
- The difference in offensive rebounding led to a 12-7 advantage for the Ducks in second-chance points.
- Stevens turned 17 Misericordia turnovers into 21 points.
- The Ducks finished with a 20-3 edge in fast-break points.
- First-year Jack Spellman blocked a career-high five shots, the most by a Duck this season. As a team, the Ducks blocked eight shots. One of Spellman’s rejections was a fantastic block of a Kreitzer attempt at the rim.
- Abujawdeh finished with a season-high three steals.
Unsung Hero
- Sophomore Frank Gelfman made both of his attempts from the floor, including a long three, to finish with five points. He also pulled down a couple of rebounds and had one steal.
From the Court – Head Coach Bobby Hurley
- “I thought Misericordia played a really complete game today. Unfortunately, we didn’t play well enough on either end of the floor. We need to be more competitive and our communication needs to improve for our team to really come together.”
Up Next
- Men’s basketball continues MAC Freedom play on Jan. 12 at Delaware Valley.
- The Ducks swept the season series in 2019-20 in what is believed to be the first two meetings between the programs.
- A link for live stats is available on StevensDucks.com.
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