Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. (January 4, 2014) – Senior guard Matt Skrelja (Clark, N.J.) scored a career-high 26 points to help push the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a convincing 75-50 win over Ithaca College Saturday in an Empire 8 showdown.
 
With the win Stevens improves to 2-0 in the conference and 6-3 overall. Ithaca drops to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the Empire 8. The victory is the fourth-straight for the Ducks dating back December 4.
 
The Ducks played a nearly flawless first half, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and taking a 49-29 lead into the break. Skrelja put together a monster opening 20 minutes with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with three steals and a pair of assists.
 
Stevens went 18-for-34 to start, with Ithaca only taking a total of 19 shots and converting nine.
 
The Ducks jumped on top 7-0 and took their first double-digit lead of the afternoon on a second-chance bucket from junior forward Kenny Gan (Hillsborough, N.J.). Ithaca closed within six points at the 11:39 mark of the first, but four-straight points from Skrelja got the Stevens lead back to double figures and a triple from sophomore guard Evan Klimchak (Readington, N.J.) gave the Ducks a 32-17 margin with 7:35 left in the period.
 
A 10-2 spurt by the Bombers trimmed the Stevens margin to seven with 5:17 showing in the half, but the Ducks quickly responded with 13-0 run over just 1:59 to take a 47-27 lead with 2:57 left in the period. Gan started the run with a layup, and Skrelja scored nine of the 13 points.
 
The Ducks started slowly in the second period as the Bombers fought within 15 points with 15:32 left, but a layup from junior forward Patrick Sabatino (Westfield, N.J.) broke a 5:37 scoring drought and the Ducks cruised the rest of the way.
 
Stevens shot 38.5 percent for the game (25-for-65) but converted 52.9 percent of its attempts in the first half. The Ducks were 4-for-17 from deep and hit 21 of their 23 attempts (91.3 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
Skrelja finished with 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Gan had 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists, while Sabatino finished with nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Senior guard Andrew Meszaros (Phoenixville, Pa.) tallied five steals, while sophomore forward Alex Lorenz (Point Pleasant Borough, N.J.) had three blocked shots.
 
Stevens scored 38 points in the paint and never relinquished the lead. The Ducks scored 25 points off 25 Ithaca turnovers, while finishing the game with 15 steals and six blocks as a team.
 
Ithaca was led by sophomore center Andrew Brandt (Broomall, Pa.) who scored a team-high nine points and pulled down 18 rebounds.
 
The Bombers shot 16-for-52 (30.8 percent) from the field, 5-for-20 from deep and 13-for-27 at the line. They also held a 46-39 rebounding advantage.
 
The Ducks will return to the hardwood when they visit the United States Merchant Marine Academy on January 7 at 7 p.m.