Box Score  | 2013-14 Statistics

TROY, N.Y. – Amanda Lynch finished with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to a 65-51 win over Bard in Liberty League women's basketball action on Tuesday evening at East Campus Arena. With the win, RPI improves to 7-15 overall, with a 5-8 mark in conference action, while the Raptors drop to 1-19 and 0-11.

Bard's Bianka Bell (Stamford, CT / Notre Dame-Fairfield) scored the first basket of the game at 19:20, and RPI's Ashley Clough (West Chesterfield, NH / Keene) responded with a layup at the other end of the court. The teams exchanged baskets again before RPI took a 6-4 lead on a Lynch (Middletown, NY / John S. Burke Catholic) bucket at 15:16. The Engineers outscored the Raptors 9-4 over the next five minutes to take a 13-8 lead with just over ten minutes to play in the first half.

The teams continued to battle, and RPI clung to a 20-18 advantage at 4:32 before Courtney Reynolds (San Diego, CA / Rancho Bernardo) knocked down two free throws to push the Engineer advantage to 22-18. Tytravia Riley (Miami, FL / Gulliver Prep) drained two from the line at the opposite end with just over three minutes to play, but Rensselaer responded with a jumper by Zysnia Osepa (Melrose, NY / Tamarac) to keep the Engineers up by five, 25-20. Lauren Young pushed the lead to seven with two more made shots from the charity stripe.

Joanna Regan (Selden, NY / Newfield) drained a 3-pointer with under a minute to go, following a made bucket from Bell, to pull the Raptors within two, but Lynch responded with a jumper at the other end to preserve the RPI lead. However, Regan hit a long-range buzzer beater from the right corner to set the score at 29-28 at the half.

Lynch kicked off the second half with a three-point play, but Bard outscored the Engineers 8-5 to take a 36-34 lead with 14:51 on the clock after an Abbey Labrecque (Battle Creek, MI / Lakeview) layup. Kristen Van Gilst (Harwinton, CT / Lewis Mills) put RPI back on top by one, 37-36, by nailing a 3-pointer from the left side of the arc, kicking off a 9-0 run for the Engineers that put RPI ahead, 43-37.

Riley ended the Rensselaer run with one free throw at 11:19, but a trey from Clough pushed the rally to 12-1 with just under 11 minutes remaining. Bard continued to rely on Riley on the offensive end, as the sophomore forward converted another layup with 10:14 to play. RPI extended its advantage to 50-43 on a layup by Lynch, at 7:42, but Treyonna Frazier (Atlanta, GA / Carver School of the Arts) responded with a bucket to close the gap back to five.

Seven straight points, including five free throws, helped the Engineers build up their largest lead of the game, 59-47, with 3:28 to play. Bard's Lily Harris (Charlotte, VT / Champlain Valley Union) ended the run with a layup, and Riley hit a jumper in the paint to close the gap back to 59-51 just one minute later. Kendal Davis (Herndon, VA / Bishop Denis J O'Connell) hit back-to-back baskets for the Engineers, and Jackie Sortor (Colchester, VT / Colchester Union) converted a layup with under a minute to play to set the final score.

Rensselaer had three other players finish with double-digit scoring totals. Osepa recorded 11 points, going 4-of-8 from the field with two 3-pointers, while Sortor and Clough scored 10 apiece. Clough also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out three assists, and blocked three shots. The Engineers shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the floor as a team.

Riley also recorded a double-double, scoring a game-high 19 points and pulling down a game-best 18 boards. Bell was the only other player for the Raptors to hit double digits, scoring 10 points, including a 6-for-6 mark from the free throw line. Bell also recorded nine rebounds and four assists.

RPI will return to action next Tuesday, Feb. 11, visiting Vassar in Liberty League play.