OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Stevenson junior forward Erik Fisher nearly equaled his career-high with 29 points while also pulling down a game-high ten rebounds for his second double-double of the season and help propel Stevenson past Arcadia, 74-58, Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Conference action at Owings Mills Gymnasium.

Fisher led a well balanced attack for Stevenson (14-5, 7-3 MAC), scoring 14 in the opening period before dumping in 15 more as the Mustangs outscored Arcadia (10-10, 6-5 MAC) by eight in each half.  Junior Christian Roberts added 14 for the hosts, while senior Justin Kuntz went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 11 points.  Fisher and Kuntz helped the Mustangs outrebound the Knights, 35-30, and gain a 44-24 advantage in points in the paint.

The win is the fifth straight for the Mustangs while the Knights dropped their second consecutive game despite an 18-point performance from Joe Brown.

The visitors gained the advantage in the early going, using a pair of offensive rebounds to convert two field goals and jump to a 6-2 lead. Fisher stemmed the run with a three-pointer for the Mustangs, but Arcadia responded with five straight points to force a Stevenson timeout at the 15:10 mark.

As the Knights continued to go inside, the host Mustangs used an efficient inside-out game to take the lead with senior Colby Giacubeno hitting from long range and then Fisher connecting on back-to-back trips to give SU the lead, 14-13, with 11:22 remaining in the half.

The teams answered each other over the next five minutes before a hook shot from Fisher and dunk from sophomore Ryan Hill lifted the Mustangs to a 24-18 lead with just under six minutes left. 

In the final stages of the opening period Arcadia clawed back to within four at 28-24 after a pair of free throws from John Landro, but the Mustangs scored the final four points of the half, including a lay-up by Fisher with three seconds remaining to push the lead to eight.

Stevenson used an efficient offense in the first half, making 14-of-26 shots (53.8%) while limiting the Knights to 30.0% (9-for-30) shooting.

Fisher continued his strong afternoon straight out of the break with another close-range basket to push the lead to double digits.  Though the offense slowed down for the Mustangs, their tight defense held Arcadia without a made field goal for a stretch of over six minutes going back to the first half.  A three-pointer from Ryan Kelley ended the draught for the Knights, but the hosts answered immediately with a three-point play from Fisher and a Giacubeno lay-up to push the lead to a then game-high of 13 at 41-28, with 15:29 left in the contest.

A full-court pressed helped Arcadia jump back into the game with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, but Fisher stepped up again for Stevenson, nailing a three from the corner and extend the lead back to nine.  The Mustangs continued the hot stretch and scored eight more in a row to create a 17 point lead, punctuated by a lay-in from senior Justin Kuntz at the 10:35 mark.

From there Stevenson held Arcadia at bay, using a balanced attack of seven different scorers, and a defense that caused 13 turnovers, blocked five shots, and held the Knights to 32.2% shooting for the game. 

The advantage would end up increasing to a game-high 19 with just over a minute to play as Roberts made both free throws during a trip to the line.

The Mustangs are back on the court at Owings Mills Gymnasium this Wednesday, Feb. 4 when they host Albright in another conference contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.