Leading 24-18 with less than 11 minutes to go in the first half, Stevens used a 9-0 run over a four-minute stretch to take a 15-point lead. Freshman guard George Greco (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) got things started with a three-pointer. Following a lay-up by senior forward Michael Collins (Bronx, N.Y.), junior guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y.) made two free throws. Gray capped the burst with a lay-up as Stevens went on top by the score of 33-18 with 6:13 left in the half. The Ducks carried a 45-30 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Trailing by 17 points (57-40) with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game, CCNY (1-3) out-scored Stevens 19-6 over the course of 7:08 to close to within 63-59 with 6:56 to play. Junior guard Taleek Norman (Bronx, N.Y.) started the run with a three-pointer. Junior forwards Rajakh Ndoye (Houston, Texas) and Idris Agbaje (Brooklyn, N.Y.) combined for 12 points to fuel the Beavers’ comeback.
Following a timeout by the Ducks, Gray came up with a huge three-point play to extend the margin to 66-59 with 6:22 left on the clock. Senior guard James Boddie (Bronx, N.Y.) cut the lead to five with a jumper, but sophomore guard Anthony Passalacqua (Staten Island, N.Y.) answered with a huge three-pointer with the shot clock running down to put the Ducks up by eight points (69-61) with 5:08 remaining.
Stevens pulled away down the stretch as the Ducks out-scored CCNY 16-6 to end the game. Collins and Gray both had dunks in the final two minutes to help ice the victory.
Gray was nine of 16 from the floor and 5-for-7 at the line. Sophomore guard Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored all 15 of his points in the first half. Palantino was five of 10 from the floor and 4-for-8 from downtown in the game. Passalacqua contributed 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting. He made both of his three-pointers in the contest. Farid finished with nine points, six rebounds and five steals.
Ndoye led the way for CCNY with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He made five three-pointers in the game. Boddie collected 12 points, four rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.
Stevens connected on 49.1 percent (27-for-55) of its field-goal attempts. The Ducks limited CCNY to 38.7 percent (24-for-62) shooting from the field. Stevens also forced 23 turnovers by the Beavers, who owned a 43-31 rebound advantage.
The Ducks will return to action on Saturday when they open Skyline Conference play against SUNY College at Old Westbury. Opening tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. in Old Westbury, N.Y.