Men's Basketball | 2/13/2009 10:55:37 PM
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ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's basketball team (17-5, 12-1 Empire 8) used an 8-0 run over a three minute span late in the second half to snap a 54-54 tie and defeat Stevens (12-10, 5-8 Empire 8), 74-68 on Friday evening at the Clark Gym.
#Brendan Harder (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta)# (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) hit a jumper to put RIT up for good, 56-54. Six straight points on two lay-ups and two free throws by Mark Carson (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) gave the Tigers a 62-54 lead.
The Tigers hit their free-throws down the stretch to hang on for the win. RIT was 13-of-14 (93 percent) from the charity stripe in the second half, and 16-for-20 (80 percent) overall.
Carson, who leads all of NCAA basketball (Division I, II and III) in rebounds per game, notched his 19th double-double of the season, with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Carson was 8-for-12 from the field.
Freshman guard #Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service)# (Anchorage, AK/Service) chipped in with 13 points and a personal-best seven assists. Harder added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with five boards. #Scott Young (Almond, NY/Hornell)# (Almond, NY/Hornell) and #Shawn Roe (Corning, NY/Corning East)# (Corning, NY/Corning East) added nine and eight points, respectively.
Virgil Gray led four Ducks in double-figures with 20 points. Michael Baker added 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Matt Higgins and Anthony Passalacqua chipped in with 12 points each.
RIT shot 43.5 percent from the field, while Stevens shot 46 percent. Stevens shot 55 percent in the second half, but turned the ball over 19 times overall. Stevens out-rebounded RIT, 42-37.
The Tigers led 30-29 after a tightly played first half. The lead changed seven times in the first half, mostly in the final three minutes.
Carson had 10 points, six boards, two steals and two blocks over the opening 20 minutes. Harder was 4-for-4 from the field. Virgil Gray led Stevens with 12 first-half points.
The Ducks held a five-point edge twice in the first half.
RIT leads the all-time series against Stevens, 4-1. On Jan. 23, RIT defeated the Ducks, 56-55 in Hoboken, N.J.
The Tigers return to action on Sunday, as they host Hartwick in an Empire 8 conference contest starting at 2 p.m. RIT will be honoring Carson, a senior, before the start of the game. Head Coach Bob McVean goes for his 400th victory at RIT.
