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TROY, N.Y. – RIT put four student-athletes in double figures in points with Amanda Olsen registering a double-double as the Tigers defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 80-59, at East Campus Arena. The Tigers improved to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the Liberty League behind strong defensive pressure and sharp shooting on the other end. RPI, which was never able to put together a run, drops to 10-7 and 6-4.
Rensselaer got off to a hot start, with junior LaKissa Martin scoring seven points in just the first two minutes, going 3 for 4 from the field, and giving the Engineers the early 7-2 lead.
From there, RIT outscored Rensselaer 15-5 over the rest of the quarter, ending the first with a 16-12 lead. The Engineers struggled from the field in the first quarter, going just 5 for 13 (38.5%), while RIT made 41.2% (7 of 17) of its shots.
RIT, which gave Rensselaer trouble with a full-court press, got hot in the second quarter, going 8 for 12 (66.7%) from the field, while Rensselaer struggled again, this time going 4 for 13 (30.8%). Turnovers were also an issue for RPI, losing that battle 11-4.
The Tigers went in to the locker rooms holding a 39-27 lead. RIT guard Cori Okada paced all scorers with 10 points, while Martin led the Engineers with nine.
RIT started the third quarter on a 10-0 run and finished the third up 55-39.
The Engineers showed life in the first half of the final frame with back-to-back threes by Elizabeth Eckhardt and Sam Krumbhaar to close the gap to 59-47 with 6:46 remaining, but the Tigers continued to make their shots, going 9 of 13 (69.2%) in the fourth.
RIT's Tara Lynch finished as the game's leading scorer with 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting. She also had five rebounds. Olsen had 10 points and 10 rebounds with seven assists, while Okada finished with 13 points, five assists and four steals. Jessica Glaz scored a dozen with six rebounds for the Tigers, which made 31 baskets in 58 attempts (53.4%), including 13 of 26 from behind the arc.
Eckhardt put up 16 points and Krumbhaar finished with 14 for the Engineers, who had 19 field goals with five from three-point range. Senior Shaina Iton posted seven points and 11 rebounds and Martin finished with 11 points for RPI, which led the rebounding matchup 34-31. RIT had a 28-16 edge in the paint, however.
The Engineers look to rebound on Saturday afternoon when they host Skidmore (2 pm). The Tigers, who are in first place in the conference, look to maintain their number-one spot as they travel to William Smith for a Saturday afternoon matchup (2 pm).
