Men's Basketball | 1/23/2009 11:37:33 PM

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HOBOKEN, NJ -- The RIT men's basketball team ran their Empire 8 record to 7-0 with a 56-55 win over Stevens on Friday night. The Tigers are now 11-4 overall and atop the Empire 8 standings with a 7-0 mark.

The tandem of Mark Carson (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) (Voorheesville, NY) and #Scott Young (Almond, NY/Hornell)# (Almond, NY/Hornell) paced RIT offensively. Carson scored 15 points and and grabbed 16 rebounds, while Young tallied 18 points, hitting five three-pointers.  It was Carson's 13th double-double of the season.

RIT led virtually from the opening tap, opening up a quick 8-0 lead in the first two minutes. Shawn Roe (Corning, NY/Corning East) (Corning, NY/Corning East) and Young buried three-pointers right out of the gate to set the Ducks back on their heels.

Stevens responded and took a 19-18 lead on a layup by Virgil Gray at the 12-minute mark of the first half. The Ducks' biggest lead was four points but RIT closed out the first half on an 11-3 run, leading 31-27 at the break.

RIT led by as many as 11 points early in the second half. The Ducks kept making a run at the Tigers but RIT never relinquished their lead.

Michael Baker's three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining cut RIT's lead to just one at 55-54. After Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service) (Anchorage, AK/Service) hit one-of-two free throws Nate Korinchak (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) (Strongsville, OH) fouled Baker with one second remaining giving Stevens a chance to tie and send the game into overtime. Baker, however, missed the first and made the second, giving the Tigers a one-point victory.

RIT shot 40.4% (19-of-47) from the floor. The Tigers made 7-of-17 three-pointers, went 11-of-21 from the foul line and out-rebounded the Ducks 41-37.

RIT is off on Saturday but will face Hartwick College on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Oneonta, New York.