Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic) tallied a game-high 29 points and two other players reached double digits to lead Stevens Institute of Technology to a 74-69 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in a non-league men’s basketball game at Robison Gym. The Ducks improve to 6-3 while RPI falls to 6-3.

The Ducks opened the scoring in the first half, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before freshman Ricky Philatre (Randolph, MA/Randolph) put Rensselaer on the board. Led by 14 points in the opening half from Gray II, Stevens led by as many as 17 points (21-4) before the Red Hawks charged back into the contest. A three-pointer from senior guard Neal Wesson (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth) brought the Red Hawks to within three (33-30) at the 38 second mark, but a last minute shot by junior guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, NY/Stuyvesant) sent the visitors into the intermission with a 36-30 lead.

Rensselaer took its first lead of the game at 15:29 of the second half on a pair of free throws by Philatre, but Stevens regained the lead for good less than three minutes later. The homestanding Red Hawks kept it close down the stretch, going on an 8-0 run late in the game to pull to within one at the 15 second mark. With the clock winding down, Stevens capitalized on free throws from Gray II and sophomore Anthony Passalacqua (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner) to seal the victory.

In addition to Gray II, who also had seven rebounds and four steals, Farid posted 11 points and four boards. Senior Michael Collins (Bronx, NY/Trinity Pawling) chipped in 10 points for the Ducks.

For Rensselaer, Philatre went 4-of-7 from the field, posting 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds (4 offensive). Wesson also added 12 points with four caroms, two assists, and a block. Senior forward Clay Hadley (LaGrange, IL/Lyons Township) chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds for the Red Hawks.

RPI is back in action on Saturday when it travels to SUNY Cortland for a non-league game at 6pm. The Red Hawks then host Southern Vermont on Sunday at 4pm. Stevens hosts Tufts University on Friday at 7pm.