Box Score | RPI Athletics on YouTube

TROY, N.Y. - Edvinas Rupkus made a free throw with no time remaining in regulation to give the Skidmore College men's basketball team a 70-69 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), thwarting the Engineers' comeback in a Liberty League contest. The Thoroughbreds remain perfect in the conference at 4-0 and improve to 6-3 overall. RPI drops to 1-2 and 6-4.

With the game tied at 69-69 with five seconds remaining, Rupkus a senior, was put on the foul line after the final horn because he was fouled on an attempted put-back. The play began under Rensselaer's basket after RPI's Andreas Kontopidis drove the lane and made a layup to knot the score. The senior's points capped a 6-0 run by the Engineers, who trailed 69-63 with 40 seconds to play. The ensuing inbound went to Skidmore's Noah Meren, who dribbled to the hoop but missed an off-balance attempt near the rim. Rupkus grabbed at the rebound, but was pushed in the back as he went for the ball as time ran out. With no time on the clock and no one else in the free throw area, he made his first attempt to end the game. 

Skidmore gained it's six point lead when Chase Ta made two free throws with only 40 seconds remaining. Kontopidis drew a foul 15 seconds later and made two free throws to get RPI within four points. Mitchel Wayand then stole the inbounds pass and laid the ball in for a two-point deficit with 18 seconds left. A missed Thoroughbreds 1-and-1 free throw was rebounded by Kontopidis, who eventually got the ball at the top of the key before getting to the rim for a lay-in that tied the game with five second remaining.

Rupkus finished with a game-high 21 points, along with seven rebounds. Ta scored 13 points with seven assists - 11 and five in the second half - and Meren had 11 points with six caroms and four assists. Greg Skoric also reached double figures with 10 points, along with a game-high eight rebounds.

Patrick Mahoney led the Engineers with 16 points, along with six rebounds, and Kontopidis scored 15 points with a team-high seven rebounds. Tom Horvat had 12 points for RPI, which held a 33-28 lead at halftime. 

Rensselaer is back home on Saturday afternoon against RIT (4pm), while Skidmore faces Union College in Schenectady at 4pm. Both games are Liberty League contests.