TROY, NY - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball came up short in the Liberty League Championship, as Ithaca claimed the conference title with a 72-67 victory in ECAV Arena.

Andrew Deppe paced the Engineers with 21 points and eight rebounds in the close defeat. PJ Scalisi and Avery Eugster were in double figures as well with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

A blazing hot start by Ithaca put the Engineers in a big hole early. The Bombers shot 68 percent (17-of-25) in the first half, including 9-of-12 three-point field goals.

Ithaca led by as much as 25 points in the first half, however RPI would turn up the defense to post a furious comeback across the final 10 minutes.

Trailing 61-40 with 10:42 left, the Engineers would score 27 of the next 36 points to cut the margin to just three points with less than a minute to play. Ithaca secured the championship at the free throw line after that.

Chuck Clemons and Pat White each finished with six points, while Clemons collected eight boards. Eugster had seven rebounds and two blocks as well.

Evan Cabral and and Logan Wendell combined for 47 points to help Ithaca capture its first league championship since 2019-20.

The Engineers cap the winter with an overall record of 21-6.