Stevens Beats Utica; Fisher Holds off Elmira, Nazareth Defeats Houghton
Stevens 72, Utica 59
The 25th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men’s basketball team opened Empire 8 play with a convincing 72-59 win at Utica College Friday night to improve to 6-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
Stevens, playing as a ranked team for the first time since February of 2008, led for the final 39:04 of game time. The Ducks were ahead by double digits over the game’s last 22 minutes, and were led by 20 points apiece from senior guard Russ Thompson (West Orange, N.J.) and senior guard Sheldon Jones (Queens, N.Y.). Thompson went 6-for-6 from three-point range in the win.
Jones had 20 points, two rebounds and one steal, while Thompson had 20 points and four helpers. Sabatino was excellent, scoring 16 points, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds and recording a pair of blocked shots. Junior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) had four points, three steals and a game-high eight assists, while Gan finished with six points, six blocks, five boards and two assists in a solid game. Junior guard Phillip DeSeignora (Boston, Mass.) led Stevens off the bench with six points, a steal and a rebound.
The Ducks shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) from the field and 41.7 percent (10-for-24) from three. They shot 6-for-8 from the line, had nine blocks, 17 assists and just 11 turnovers (four in the second half). The two teams each grabbed 36 rebounds.
The Pioneers were led by 12 points from senior center Alex Meyer (Salt Point, N.Y.) and a double-double – 11 points, 10 rebounds - from junior forward Connor Maisch (Kingston, N.Y.). Utica shot 42.1 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. The Pioneers were just 4-for-12 at the line and had 15 turnovers (21 assists).
St. John Fisher 52, Elmira 43
The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team defeated Elmira College 52-43 on Friday night in Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium.
Fisher used a 16-0 run over 9:58 to push the score to 42-25 early in the second half to gain control of the game and never look back. The Soaring Eagles cut the Cardinals' lead to one at 26-25 with 19:25 remaining in the game. Fisher then held Elmira scoreless over the next 10:40 – and without a field goal for 11:17 – during the span.
The Soaring Eagles used a 7-0 run late in the game to cut the Cardinals' lead to eight at 49-41, but Optimystik Kinard nailed a three to give Fisher another double digit lead with under three minutes to play.
In the first half, Jason Norsen was dominant with 10 points, four boards and four blocked shots, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Fisher's largest lead of the opening stanza was nine points, which it held over Elmira twice, at 20-11 and 26-17.
The Cardinals headed to the locker room with a 26-22 advantage after Elmira closed out the half with a 5-0 run over the last 1:13, including a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining in the period.
Norsen had his second double-double of the season in the victory, finishing with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 10 boards. The senior also finished with six blocked shots, adding to his 4.2 blocks per game average that currently leads the nation. Chaz Lott finished with a team-best four assists while also corralling eight rebounds.
Nazareth 78, Houghton 54
Nazareth finished with four players in double figures to outscore Houghton 78-54 in a men's Empire 8 Conference basketball game on Friday evening. Senior Tyshun Stephens tallied a team-high 17 points, followed by junior Brad Ford with 15 points. Junior Jack Giles and freshman Mitch Ford added 10 points apiece.
Nazareth seized control of the game from the early minutes after Brad Ford connected with a three-pointer to give the Golden Flyers their first points. Nazareth's potent attack extended the Golden Flyers' lead to double-digits following a layup by Stephens midway through the period. Nazareth had a 17-point lead in the final minute of the period after sophomore Vinny Amuso connected on his three-point shot. The Golden Flyers settled for a 38-23 lead at the break.
The Golden Flyers opened the second half with a 21-5 scoring run to claim a game-high 31-point lead, 59-28, with 11:34 to play in regulation. The Highlanders trimmed their deficit to 18 points with about four minutes remaining, but Houghton never seriously threatened Nazareth's dominant lead.
Chris Confair amassed a game-high 26 points to pace Houghton. Mark O'Brien added 10 points. The Golden Flyers' tenacious defense held Houghton to 20-61 (32.8 percent) shooting from the field. The Highlanders connected on just three three-pointers compared with Nazareth's 11 long-range baskets.