Box Score | RPI Athletics on YouTube

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Senior Nick Keefe drained a long three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to lift the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team to a 96-95 victory over Skidmore College in a Liberty League contest at the Williamson Sports Center.

With the Thoroughbreds leading 95-93 and 12 seconds to play,RPI's Tyler Gendron secured a rebound after a missed Skidmore free-throw and found Keefe, who nailed a deep three at the buzzer to seal the win for the Engineers. Rensselaer has now won three straight games to improve to 5-8 overall and 3-1 in the conference. The Thoroughbreds, who led by 14 points at halftime, fall to 8-5 and 2-2.

Keefe led the Engineers with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. Gendron chipped in 15 points and Jesus Cardenas scored 10 points off the bench.

All five of Skidmore's starters scored in double figures, as Erik Sanders scored a game-high 22 points, Perun Kovacevic added 21 points and six rebounds, Tanner Brooks contributed 14 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds, Connor Merrill had 13 points and nine rebounds and Aldin Medunjanin ended with 11 points, seven boards and six assists.

The Thoroughbreds got out to a double-digit lead early in the first, outscoring the Engineers 22-10 in the opening eight minutes. After cutting the deficit to 30-25 with a 9-4 run capped by a Keefe three-pointer, Skidmore outscored RPI 20-9 over the final seven minutes of the first for a 50-36 lead at halftime.

The Engineers came out firing in the second half, starting it on a 15-2 run to take a 53-52 lead. Gendron scored eight of his 15 points during that stretch.

The two teams traded baskets over the next 10 minutes, with the lead changing hands seven times. Kovacevic battled his way into the paint for a layup, giving Skidmore a 91-86 lead with just over a minute to play, but senior Reggie Colas hit a three-pointer on RPI's ensuing possession to cut the deficit to two, 91-89.

Brooks put Skidmore ahead 95-91 with a pair of free-throws, but Keefe again brought RPI back within two with a quick bucket. The Engineers fouled quickly and after rebounding the missed free-throw, Gendron set up Keefe's late-game heroics.

The Thoroughbreds shot 52.5-percent (32-61) from the field, while RPI finished at 37.8-percent (31-82). The Engineers went 9-of-17 from three-point range in the second half.

RPI hosts Clarkson University on Saturday at 4pm at East Campus Arena, while Skidmore faces Union College, also at 4pm.