TROY, N.Y. – After trailing at halftime, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team took a hard-fought victory in the Liberty League First Round, as the third-seeded Engineers defeated the sixth-seeded Bard Raptors by a final score of 67-50. Graduate student Jonny Angbazo led the Engineers with a 19-point effort to help the Engineers outscore Bard 41-22 in the second half.
 
The Engineers struggled early, shooting just 32.3 percent from the floor in the opening half. The biggest struggle came from downtown, as they went 3-for-13 in the opening 20 minutes. Despite the tough go on offense, the Engineers defense was strong, forcing Bard into eight turnovers. With that, the Raptors only led by two at the break, 28-26.
 
Angbazo stepped up and knocked the cold streak from downtown with a three-ball with 13:26 to play, giving RPI their first lead since the first half at 38-37. Angbazo's bucket led to an 8-1 run for the Engineers, punctuated by a three-pointer from Yechiel Stewart that gave RPI a 43-38 lead.
 
RPI maintained the lead down the stretch, pushing their lead to double-digits after a three-pointer from Avery Eugster with just over six minutes to play in regulation. From that point, RPI locked down on defense, holding Bard scoreless over the final 4:20 of the game, finishing on an 11-0 run.
 
Behind Angbazo's 19 points was an 11-point showing from freshman PJ Scalisi, while Dylan Matchett and Avery Eugster each finished with nine points apiece. Matchett finished with nine rebounds with his nine points, falling just short of a double-double. Matchett also led the team in steals with four.
 
For Bard, Lazaros Panagiotounis scored 16 points to lead the Raptors, as they shot just 27.3 percent as a team in the second half.
 
RPI now moves on to face the second-seeded St. Lawrence Saints in Canton this Friday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m.