UTICA, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team fell just short of victory on Wednesday night, as the Engineers fell by a 59-56 final score to the SUNY Poly Wildcats on the road.
 
Both sides traded jabs in the first half, as neither side held a lead larger than five in the opening 20 minutes. The Engineers held the lead for a majority of the half, surrendering the lead just once after an and-one at the 5:05 mark left in the first half as SUNY Poly took their first lead, 25-24.
 
However, RPI fought back and allowed just two field goals the rest of the way. The Engineers ended the first half on a small 5-0 run thanks to a pair of free throws from Jonny Angbazo and a three-pointer from PJ Scalisi at the buzzer to give RPI a 35-30 lead at the midway point.
 
RPI continued their run at the start of the second half, opening up their lead to 12 points just five minutes into the second frame after Angbazo converted a three-point play. But the Wildcats defense was able to lock down, as they fought their way back and tied the game at 52-all with 4:30 to play in the second half.
 
A battle ensued in the final minutes, as SUNY Poly combated multiple RPI possessions of Angbazo layups with buckets of their own, converting a three-point play with 59 seconds remaining to take a 59-56 lead.
 
Despite their best efforts, RPI could not come up with an equalizer, having multiple attempts – including at the buzzer – to send the game to overtime.
 
Angbazo finished with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds for the Engineers, while Scalisi added 10 rebounds. The Wildcats were led by a 19 point effort from Cheickne Toure and 13 from LJ Randle.
 
RPI returns to action on Saturday, November 18 at 3 p.m. when they take on SUNY Delhi on the road.