HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Phil Pellegrino nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key with 18 seconds remaining on the clock to push the Houghton Highlanders past the Stevens Tech Ducks, 69-67, Saturday afternoon.
 
The Highlanders overcame an 11-point second half deficit to earn the program's first victory over the Ducks, who still currently hold the second seed in the Empire 8 conference.
 
Game Vitals
Score: Houghton – 69 | Stevens – 67
Records: Houghton: 9-14 (4-10 Empire 8) | Stevens: 17-6 (10-4 Empire 8)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College| Attendance: 225

Key Moments
>> Stevens came out of the shoots hard, knocking down shots and capitalizing on a rash of Highlander turnovers.  By the end of the first five minutes the Ducks owned an 11-point lead.
 
Houghton, however, battled back.  Dylan Lambert knocked down a three to cut the lead to three points, before Johnathan Stowe sank a pair of free throws to pull Houghton within one.  Moments later Samuel Ortega and Stowe hit back-to-back shots to give the Highlanders a three-point lead.
 
The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the half before Stevens drained a three in the final possession of the half to put the Ducks up, 38-35, at the break.
 
>> After trimming an 11-point Stevens lead to five, Jordan Scott hit a jumper and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to tie the game, 62-62, with only 3:44 remaining.
 
Stevens converted a three-point play on their next possession, but Pellegrino quickly answered with a three-ball to tie it again.
 
A pair of free throws put the Ducks up by two and the Highlanders turned the ball over on consecutive possessions.  A pair of defensive stops gave Houghton the ball one last time, allowing Pellegrino to come off the high screen catch and shoot the game-winner.
 
Key Stats
>> Houghton outshot the Ducks, sinking 52 percent of their shots, including 36 percent from three-point range.  Stevens made 37 percent of their shots, 26 percent from beyond the arc.  
 
>> While Houghton held a distinct advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Ducks, 41-26, the Highlanders also committed 18 turnovers.  The Ducks turned the ball over only eight time.
 
>> Lambert posted 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Pellegrino added 15 points.
 
>> Stowe scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and John Nelson added eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Coach's Corner:
"This was a great bounce-back win for us, especially after a tough loss last night.  We definitely weren't perfect in the first half, but we were buoyant; we were resilient, and we kept chipping away.
 
"We executed great in crunch time, and that was really triggered by Darius [Brown].  He threw some great passes, read the defense perfectly and delivered the passes that needed to be made.  He was unselfish; he was just awesome. 
 
"Jordan Scott and Phil Pellegrino hit clutch shots when we needed them, and Dylan Lambert turned in another gutsy performance, but that's what we've come to expect from him.   
 
"John Nelson was everywhere, guarding one-through-five.  He did every little thing that wins basketball games.
 
"This win is a credit to these guys, especially after a tough loss last night.  It wasn't luck, it was hard work." –Coach Corky McMullen 
 
Next Time Out
Houghton travels to Ithaca College on Thursday to take on the Bombers at 8:00 p.m.  In their last meeting the Bombers defeated the Highlanders, 56-70, at the Nielsen Center.