Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team scored 53 second half points and overcame a 14-point halftime deficit in defeating Mass. College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 92-87, in the championship game of the Tri-State Shootout at RPI's East Campus Arena.
 
Rensselaer improves to 4-3, while the Trailblazers are now 1-4. RPI senior Daniel Martin (Cohasset, MA / Cohasset), who had nine points, five rebounds, five blocks and four steals in the championship game after registering 13 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the first round game, a 105-85 win over College of St. Joseph was selected as the Most Outstanding Player.
 
The first half of Saturday's final was close until MCLA went on a 16-2 run to close the frame with a 53-39 lead.
 
The Engineers chipped away and took their first lead of the second half with 4:14 remaining when Cedric White (Rutland, VT / Rutland Senior) scored on a layup. An MCLA basket and free throw put the Trailblazers back in front, 83-82 with 3:44 to go, but RPI scored the next four points for a three point lead, 86-83 with 2:50 remaining.
 
The Trailblazers took advantage of another foul on a made shot to get within one point, 88-87, with 32 seconds remaining, but RPI's Jamie Zajac (Merrimack, NH / Bishop Guertin) and Erik Hatton (Atkinson, NH / Timberlane Regional) both made a pair of free throws for the final margin.
 
Zajac finished with a team-high 15 points, along with five assists and three steals, while Hatton had 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Senior guard Bilal Shabazz (Schenectady, NY / Bishop Gibbons) led the visitors with 18 points and junior forward John Jones (Worcester, MA / South) had 10 points and 10 rebounds with four steals and four assists. Senior Richard Johnson (Springfield, MA / Commerce) added 10 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.
 
Joining Martin on the All-Tournament Team was Hatton, Shabazz, MCLA's Vernon Cross (Colonie, NY / Shaker), St. Joseph's Ramel Anderson (Roosevelt, NY) and Southern Vermont College's Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, NC / Denmark Technical College).
 
Rensselaer is back on the court on Saturday at Fisher College in Boston (2pm), while MCLA plays at Brandeis on Wednesday (7pm).