Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team saw 12 players record points, including three in double-figures, as the Engineers defeated Bard, 93-83 in Liberty League action at East Campus Arena.  RPI moves to 9-10 on the season with a 6-5 conference mark, while the Raptors slip to 3-14 and 1-8 in the league.
 
The homestanding Engineers held a slim 44-43 advantage after the first half of action as a flurry of back-and-forth three-pointers saw Bard close a 12-point gap near the end of the stanza.
 
With just under four minutes remaining, senior Yonah Greenstein (Rego Park, NY/Heschel) sank a shot from beyond the arc and the ensuing rebound off a missed RPI jumper saw classmate Matt Shubert (West Chester, PA/Bishop Shanahan) nail a layup of his own to make it a 38-35 game with under two minutes to play.
 
Rensselaer freshman Josh Dugas (Monroe, CT/St. Luke's) responded with a pair of threes of his own in the final minute, but it was Greenstein who came up big, connecting from downtown to make it a one-point game.
 
In the second half, the Engineers changed the tempo quickly to open a 51-45 advantage through the first four minutes, yet it was the Raptors that found the momentum as they surged back into the game and cut the deficit to two (57-55) on a three-point shot from Shubert with 13:49 remaining.
 
Bard continued to battle and it paid off as it tied the game at 64-all with 9:07 left on the clock on a jumper by rookie Jose Canario (Middletown, NY/Middletown) and grabbed the lead on the next play as Canario sank one of two free throws off an RPI foul.
 
The Engineers took back the lead less than a minute later as senior Matt Dixon (Troy, NY/Tamarac) sank two at the line and RPI would maintain control over the remainder of the game.
 
Rensselaer pushed to lead back to double-digits (80-70) with 3:19 left to play on a layup in the paint from junior Redon Qello (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) and the home team held on down the stretch as they went to the free throw line 11 times over the final stretch.
 
The Engineers, which saw Dixon and senior Matthew Pooley (Middletown, NY/Chapel Field Christian School) pour in a game-best 19 points, also got a 10-point effort and game-high four assists from senior Jamie Zajac (Merrimack, NH/Bishop Guertin).  Three others posed seven points, including junior Daniel Martin (Cohasset, MA/Cohasset), who also had four blocks.
 
For the Raptors, Shubert finished with 18 points, while Greenstein – who was 4 for 6 from three-point range – added 14 points.  Canario added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while rookie Siondueh Burnette (Lakeville, MA/Apponequet) chipped in with 11 points.
 
Rensselaer returns to action next Tuesday in an 8pm match at Vassar.  Bard is back on the court on Friday and Saturday, hosting Union (8pm) and Skidmore (4pm), respectively.