Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Eight players recorded at least eight points as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team defeated Bard College, 103-84, this evening in Liberty League play, this evening at East Campus Arena. With the win, the Engineers improve to 8-14 overall (6-7 Liberty League), while the Raptors drop to 5-15 (0-11 Liberty League).

RPI scored 15 of the game's first 18 points and never looked back, outscoring Bard 50-26 in the first half. The Engineers shot 51.4% in the opening stanza, while connecting on 4 of 10 three-pointers. Sophomore Jesus Cardenas (Phoenix, AZ/Apollo) netted eight of his team-high 13 points in the first half.

Lay-ups from seniors Reggie Colas (Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit) and Sean Dempsey (Wallingford, CT/Notre Dame) to open the second half gave the hosts a 54-26 lead.

The Raptors chipped into the deficit over the next 10 minutes, pulling to within 77-60 on a pair of free-throws by Siondueh Burnette (Lakeville, MA/Apponequet) with 8:40 to play. Burnette then made it a 16-point game (83-67) after putting one home with 5:57 remaining.

RPI answered with a basket from sophomore Tyler Gendron (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) and a triple by junior Josh Dugas (Monroe, CT/St. Luke's) to regain a sizeable 92-69 edge. The Engineers pushed their advantage back to 26 points with a little over a minute to play, before a three-pointer from Bard senior Lamar Powell (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) capped the scoring in the game.

Aiding Cardenas offensively was Gendron, who had 12 points on 3 of 8 shooting from the floor. Dugas ended up with 11 points, while senior captain Nick Keefe (Rensselaer, NY/Columbia) had nine points and a team-high five rebounds.

The Raptors were paced by 40 points from Powell, who made 13 of 23 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 three-pointers. Burnette added 11 points, while Harry Johnson (Srmyna, DE/Poytech) and Jeffrey Jordan (Smithfield, VA/Smithfield) had nine.

Rensselaer is back on the court next Tuesday, when it visits Vassar College (8pm).