Box Score | RPI Highlights

Potsdam, N.Y. - Five different student-athletes reached double digits in points and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team scored a season-high 96 points in defeating Clarkson University 96-84 on Friday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights fell to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in the Liberty League, while RPI moved to 4-2 and 1-0 in conference games. Clarkson takes on Skidmore College at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, while the Engineers head down the road to play St. Lawrence University.

Play was even for most of the first half as Clarkson freshman Chris Hulbert hit a pair of 3-pointers in the early going to put the Knights up in the opening minutes. Roburt Welch hit a 3-pointer at 13:51 and Matt Higgins followed with a mid-range jumper on the next possession to give the Knights a 17-13 advantage. That was the last they would hold the lead, however, as Mitchel Wayand nailed a pair of 3-pointers over the next 45 seconds to put the Engineers up by two. RPI expanded its lead by a few points, but Clarkson rallied to draw within two on three occasions, including at the 1:58 mark when Liam Ellis knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 39-37. RPI's Andreas Kontopidis responded with a three and Patrick Mahoney hit a pair of free throws in the final minutes to give the Engineers a five-point lead (44-39) at the break.

The Engineers' height advantage allowed them to get good looks at the basket, as RPI shot 60.7% from the field (17-for-28) in the first half.

The Engineers did not drop off much in the second half, shooting 15-for-27 from the field (55.6%) and taking advantage of Clarkson's struggles from distance. Higgins hit a 3-pointer at the 18:23 mark to get the Knights within four (46-42), but RPI rattled off 10 points in less than two minutes to turn a close game into a double-digit lead. The Green and Gold briefly got back within 10, but that was as close as they would get as RPI steadily increased its margin into the teens and all the way up to 20 when Kontopidis hit a 3-pointer at the 4:34 mark (85-65). Clarkson ended its drought from distance when Hulbert hit a 3-pointer at the 1:44 mark to draw the Knights within 11.

Hulbert shot 9-for-19 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, for his game-high 24 points, while senior Liam Ellis added 20 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line, and four assists. Higgins also chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.

For RPI, Kontopidis tossed in 20 points with an efficient evening of shooting, going 5-for-6 from the field with four 3-pointers and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Tom Horvat added 18 points, producing 13 in the second half. Dom Black came off the bench for 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting while starters Patrick Mahoney (15 points) and Marcus Giese (11 points) also recorded double figures.