POTSDAM, N.Y. – A slow start hampered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team on Friday night, as they fell to the Clarkson Golden Knights by a final score of 60-59. The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for the Engineers, making Saturday's matchup with St. Lawrence a battle for the top-spot in the league's season standings.
 
RPI got off to a rough start, as Clarkson dashed out to a 26-10 lead with 8:22 to go in the first half. Despite the early offensive struggles, the Engineers turned things around over the final eight minutes of the first half, outscoring the Golden Knights 19-5 – including an 11-0 run – to come back within a possession after a Jonny Angbazo layup made it 31-29 with 30 seconds to go.
 
In the second half, the Engineers struggled to score early once again while Clarkson connected with a quick 7-0 run to open the half. That gap was just enough for Clarkson to keep a lead throughout the remainder of the second half to seal a victory.
 
The Engineers trailed 60-52 with just 12 seconds to play before Avery Eugster hit a three-pointer with six seconds to play. After a foul and missed free throw by Clarkson, Eugster hit another three-pointer as time expired to give Clarkson the slim one-point win.
 
Clarkson's Ryan Miles-Ferguson scored a team-best 17 points, while Jack Dalgety added 15 points. Finn Cork had 10 points for Clarkson with a team-high nine rebounds, falling short of a double-double.
 
For RPI, Eugster led with 18 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. PJ Scalisi was the other Engineers in double-figures with 10 points and three assists.
 
RPI returns to action tomorrow, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. when they face off with St. Lawrence in a battle for the top-seed in the league for next week's Liberty League Tournament.