Box Score | RPI Fanshop

TROY, N.Y. - Junior Marcus Giese had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team to a 76-57 victory over St. Lawrence University in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Arena. The Engineers are now 2-0 in the conference and 5-1 overall, while the Saints are 1-5 and 0-2.

Giese (Franklin, MA / Franklin) made 8 of 15 shots from the field and 2 of 3 from the free throw line to reach his game-high. He also had seven offensive rebounds, two assists and three steals in 33 minutes for RPI, which outscored the Saints by 13 points in the second half (39-26). Junior Tom Horvat (Cranston, RI / Marianapolis) also had 18 points, along with four rebounds, six assists and four steals. Bard Featherston (Queens, NY / Xaverian) registered 12 points and Kevin Davis (Oxford, NY / Oxford Academy and Central School) scored 11, along with seven rebounds. 

St. Lawrence started the game with the first basket, a layup from Riley Naclerio (Cohoes, NY / Albany Academy), but Rensselaer immediately went on a 10-0 run with Horvat scoring eight points, including a pair of three-pointers. Rensselaer maintained a lead of at least two possessions for the remainder of the half, eventually reaching an 11-point bulge, 31-20, on a Featherston three-pointer with just over six minutes remaining.

The Saints battled back to within four points, 33-29, but RPI answered with a pair of baskets for a 37-29 lead with 1:39 remaining. Naclerio laid in a rebound with under a minute left and RPI led 37-31 at the break.

Rensselaer pulled away in the second half by outscoring St. Lawrence 11-3 in one span, including a dunk with a free throw by Giese, for a 50-36 advantage with just under 14 minutes to play. The Engineers' lead remained double digits the rest of the way, increasing to as many as 21 points with 2:40 to go. 

RPI shot 43.3% (29 of 67) from the floor, including 12 of 35 (34.3%) on three-pointers. It held a slight edge in rebounds, 35-33, but turned over the Saints 18 times while losing only nine. Rensselaer had 12 steals to St. Lawrence's five.

Naclerio finished with a double-double for the visitors, scoring 14 points with 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Brandon Arnold (Middletown, CT / Avon Old Farms) and Ben Crawford (Framingham, MA / Buckingham, Browne & Nichols), a junior forward, both scored 12 points. Crawford added eight rebounds for the Saints, who return to the court on Tuesday against SUNY Potsdam (8pm).

Rensselaer's next game is also Tuesday when it hosts Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts at 7pm in Troy.