ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.  – Junior Jonny Angbazo scored a career-high 21 points to lead the 22nd-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team to a 75-45 victory over Bard College, on Wednesday night at Stevenson Athletic Center. With the win, the Engineers improve to 7-0 overall (3-0 Liberty League), which matches the program's second-best start to as season. The Raptors drop to 3-4 (0-3 Liberty League).

RPI got off to a hot start, opening up a 21-4 lead over the opening 7:29 of the first half. Angbazo capped the rally with a transition lay-up after taking a feed from Cam Bleibtrey.

The Raptors crept back into the game over the next seven minutes, three times cutting their deficit to single digits. Senior Mason Memmelaar kept the hosts at arm's length in the closing moments of the first half, scoring a basket and converting from the line for a three-point play. Rensselaer to a 36-24 lead to the break.

The Engineers began to pull away around the five minute mark of the second half, as a Memmelaar lay-up was followed up by a three-point play from Avery Eugster to make it 49-29.

A pair of free-throws by fifth-year senior Patrick Mahoney gave RPI a 22-point lead (56-32), with 11:25 to play.

Angbazo then pushed RPI to its largest lead of the game at 75-36 with a three-point play of his own, with 4:15 remaining.

Bard closed out the contest on a 9-0 run to draw to within 30 before the final horn.

Angbazo led all scorers with 21 points, with five rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Memmelaar added 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a steal, while Mahoney collected 15 points, nine boards, three assists and a steal.

The Raptors were paced by Lazaros Panagiotounis, who had nine points, three rebounds and two assists.

RPI had 19 points off of Raptors turnovers, while the Bard had just eight. The Engineers netted 48 points in the paint, compared to 22 for the Raptors.

The 1949-50 Engineers started the season 7-0, before finishing 11-3. In 1944-45, RPI opened 13-0, before falling to Bowling Green in the NIT at Madison Square Garden.

The Engineers are back in action on Saturday, when they visit Mount Saint Mary (2pm). Bard hosts Pratt Institute on Saturday (2pm).