Box Score |
RPI Athletics on InstagramTROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team went on a 30-0 run over 12:09 in the first half and the Engineers went on to defeat Vermont Tech. 95-37 in the opening game of the Tri-State Shootout hosted by RPI at East Campus Arena. Rensselaer (5-1) faces Southern Vermont College (6-2), which defeated Mass. College of Liberal Arts (2-7), 106-44, in Sunday's championship game (3pm). Vermont Tech. (3-8) and MCLA play in the consolation game at 1pm.
After the visiting Knights took a 4-0 lead, RPI scored 39 of the next 41 points, including 30 unanswered. From 16:47 to 4:38 of the frame, the Engineers made 11 of 19 shots from the floor, including five three-pointers. Senior
Tyler Gendron (Merrimack, NH / Merrimack) had nine points and junior
Jonathan Luster (Essex, CT / Valley Regional) had six points. Defensively, RPI held Vermont Tech. to 0 for 16 shooting.
The first half ended with Rensselaer having a 47-14 lead behind 15 points from junior
Nate Kane (Glenmont, NY / Bethlehem), who made five three-pointers, and 13 from Gendron. Senior
Chase Almond (South Kingstown, RI / South Kingstown) had six points and eight rebounds.
Senior Logan White (South Royalton, VT) led the Knights in scoring and rebounding in the first half with six and eight, respectively.
HOT START: RPI's first five baskets were three-pointers, four from Kane and one from Luster, while the sixth was a three-point play by Almond and the seventh a trey by sophomore
Asa Barnhill (Gloversville, NY / Gloversville) ... The Engineers led 21-6 six minutes into the contest.
STRONG HALF: The Engineers shot 48.5% (16 of 33) from the floor, including 47.4% (9 of 19) from three-point range, in the first 20 minutes ... The Knights were held to 20.7% (6 of 29) shooting in the first half, including 11.8% (2 of 17) from behind the arc.
SEASON-BESTS: RPI's 95 points scored are the most in a game this season, while the 37 points allowed are the fewest given up.
HELPING HAND: Of Rensselaer's 16 first half field goals, 13 were assisted ... Freshman
Tom Horvat (Cranston, RI / Providence Country Day) had five assists in the opening 20 minutes and finished with a career-high 11 ... RPI had 26 assists on 35 baskets (15 three-pointers) in the game.
OFF THE BOARD: Neither team's leading scorers entering the game - Horvat or Kyle Connor (Bellevue, NE) - had points in the first half.
BALANCED EFFORT: All 11 student-athletes who played for the Engineers had at least two points and 10 had at least one rebound.
RPI DOUBLE FIGURES: Four from RPI had at least 10 points, led by Kane's 17 and Barnhill's 16 ... Gendron finished with 14 points and freshman
Andreas Kontopidis (Sherborn, MA / Dover-Sherborn) had 11 ... Freshman
Marcus Giese (Franklin, MA / Franklin) pulled down 11 rebounds while Almond finished with 10.
VERMONT TECH. DOUBLE FIGURES: Junior BJ Conaway (Lithonia, GA) had a game-high 20 points, including 14 in the second half, and White finished with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
In the second game of the afternoon, Southern Vermont went on a 26-0 run early in the second half to take a 73-29 lead and the Mountaineers went on to defeat Mass. College of Liberal Arts, 106-44. SVC led 41-19 at halftime, but the Trailblazers scored 10 of the first 13 points of the second half, forcing the Mountaineers to call a timeout. Following that break, Southern Vermont scored the next 26 points of the game for a 44-point lead, 73-29, behind 10 points from William Bromirski. Davante Jordan added nine points in the stretch.
Bromirski finished with a game-high 27 points to lead five players in double figures. Jordan had 13 points and DeShawn Hamlet had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Khalil Paul led MCLA in scoring with 17 points, while Dakari Hannah-Wornum had 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
