Men's Basketball | 1/7/2011 10:19:02 PM

Box Score Click here for game stats

ROCHESTER, NY – Junior Justin Heisig (Levittown, NY/Island Trees) hit a three-pointer with 27 seconds left in the second half, erasing a 70-69 deficit after the RIT men's basketball team squandered a 15-point lead with 2:54 remaining, as the Tigers (5-6, 2-0 Empire 8) won a wild contest, 73-70 over Stevens (7-2, 1-1 Empire 8) at Clark Gym on Friday night.

RIT led 66-51 with 2:54 left after a lay-up by #R.J. Kalb#. Stevens rallied to go on a 19-3 run over the next 2:05 to take a 70-69 lead on a 3-pointer by Kevin McManamy with 49 seconds left. During the run, Stevens drilled four 3-pointers, including three by Russ Thompson, and forced four RIT turnovers.

On the ensuing play for RIT, Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service) penetrated the lane and kicked a pass out to Heisig, whose 3-pointer from the left wing was flawless, capping off a career-high 22-point performance.

Stevens called timeout, and ran a play that found Mike Cutri off balance for a 3-pointer. His shot clanged off the iron and landed in the arms of RIT's Nate Korinchak (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville), who made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a three-point lead with 12 seconds left. Korinchak had made his first six free throws of the evening before missing the second of two.

The Ducks came right back up the court and found McManamy with the last shot that rolled in and out of the hoop as the buzzer sounded, sealing the RIT win.

RIT led by as many as 19 in the second half, 55-36 on a lay-up by Kalb with 10:24 remaining in regulation.

Heisig was 9-for-15 from the field and drained four 3-pointers. He also added eight boards and two steals. Korinchak added a season-high 16 points to go along with six boards and two steals. Kalb was 5-for-7 from the field en route to a career-high 10 points and four boards. Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service) dished out eight assists.

Simon Smith led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor to go along with a game-high 16 boards and added five assists. Thompson drained five 3-pointers, including three from at least 27 feet away en route to 17 points. Sheldon Jones chipped in with 12 points. RIT held Cutri, Stevens' second leading scorer entering the game to just eight points on 3-of-14 shooting.

The Tigers went on a 15-2 run midway through the opening half to take their largest lead of the stanza, 23-9 on a 3-pointer by Shawn Roe (Corning, NY/Corning East) with 11:14 left. During the run, RIT was 5-for-6 from the field, with three made 3-pointers.

Stevens responded by taking advantage of cold RIT shooting to go on a run of their own, cutting the RIT lead to 29-25 on a lay-up by Smith with 5:04 left in the half.

The Tigers went into the break with a 36-29 lead, paced by 15 points on from Heisig on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor. RIT drained six first-half 3-pointers. Smith led the Ducks with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 6-2. The two teams also meet on Feb. 12 at Stevens.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, as they host Hartwick in an Empire 8 contest that gets underway at 4 p.m.