Leading 30-28 with just under five minutes to go in the first half, Muhlenberg (1-1) scored nine unanswered points in the span of 2:12 to open an 11-point cushion with 2:58 left on the clock. Senior forward Tom Scott (Edison, N.J.) scored seven of the nine points for the Mules as they grabbed a 39-28 lead.
With the Ducks (2-0) trailing by 11 with just over a minute left in the period, Farid scored on a lay-up. Sophomore guard Virgil Gray II (Elmwood Park, N.J.) followed with a three-pointer just before the half ended as the Ducks went into the locker room down by only six points (41-35).
Stevens continued to chip away at the Mules’ lead in the second half and eventually tied the game at 47-all with 13:29 remaining on a three-point play by junior forward Joseph Ayodele (Tempe, Ariz.), who provided a huge spark off the bench. After grabbing a defensive rebound at the other end of the floor on the ensuing Mules’ possession, Ayodele scored inside to give the Ducks their first lead of the period at 49-47.
Tied at 53-53 with less than nine minutes to play in the game, Stevens took the lead for good on a lay-up by freshman guard George Greco (Rockville Centre, N.Y.). Shortly thereafter, Greco drained a clutch three-pointer, and Farid knocked down a basket to extend the lead to 62-55 with 4:50 left on the clock.
Up by three points (65-62) with less than two minutes to go, Farid converted a lay-up. Following a missed jumper by Scott, Passalacqua came up with a big rebound and was fouled. He calmly stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to put the Ducks up by seven. Stevens made six of 10 foul shots in the final minute to close out the win.
Passalacqua finished with 17 points and four rebounds. He was six of 13 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. Gray tallied seven points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Floyd Morris (East Windsor, N.J.) had seven points, six rebounds and four assists. Greco added seven points off the bench. Ayodele totaled 10 rebounds, nine points and two steals.
Senior forward Justin Fields (Jackson, N.J.) led the Mules with 15 points and was named to the all-tournament team along with Scott. Fields also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Ducks. Scott posted 13 points and eight rebounds.
Stevens out-rebounded Muhlenberg 43-34 in the game. The big difference for the Ducks though was their defensive effort in the second half as they held the Mules to 25 points. Muhlenberg, which went 12-1 at home last year, made 14 of 29 field-goal attempts (48.3 percent) in the first half, but the Mules only shot seven of 31 (22.6 percent) from the floor after the break. Stevens was 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from the field in the first period and 26-for-58 (44.8 percent) for the game.
The Ducks will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Fairleigh Dickinson University for a non-conference game at 7 p.m.