BOSTON, Mass. – The RPI men's basketball team carried a five-point halftime advantage but could not hold off a second-half surge from host Emmanuel College, falling 70-61 on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Emmanuel College Tournament at the Jean Yawkey Center.
Yechiel Stewart paced the Engineers with a team-high 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals, while
Billy Feeks added 11 points and four assists.
PJ Scalisi contributed nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while
Kellen Driscoll and
Rotimi Esiso each chipped in eight points and five rebounds.
Noah Daniel provided a spark off the bench with seven points, seven rebounds, and a game-high four steals as RPI finished with 12 steals as a team.
After falling behind 11-5 in the opening minutes, the Engineers quickly found their rhythm behind a balanced offensive attack.
Nate Shillingford connected from beyond the arc and added a layup to trim the deficit to one before Feeks drilled a three-pointer to give RPI a 16-14 advantage midway through the first half. The Engineers continued their surge with baskets from Driscoll, Esiso, and Feeks, extending the lead to 26-14 following a 21-3 run.
Emmanuel gradually chipped away at the deficit, cutting the margin to one in the closing minutes of the opening period. However, the Engineers answered with timely baskets from Driscoll and Scalisi before Stewart threw down a putback dunk at the buzzer to send RPI into halftime with a 37-32 advantage.
Stewart opened the second half with a three-pointer to push the Engineers' lead to eight, but Emmanuel responded with a 9-0 run to take a 41-40 advantage. The teams traded baskets over the ensuing minutes, with Stewart connecting on another triple and Scalisi knocking down a transition three-pointer to keep RPI within striking distance.
After the Saints pushed ahead 52-48 midway through the second half, Daniel and Feeks converted consecutive layups to even the score at 52-52. Emmanuel responded with a four-point play, but the Engineers continued to battle as Driscoll finished inside to pull RPI within one at 56-55 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Emmanuel answered with a 5-0 stretch to rebuild its advantage before Daniel converted a layup to bring the Engineers back within four. However, a three-pointer from Noah Beaudet extended the Saints' lead to seven inside the final four minutes, and Emmanuel converted late free throws to secure the victory.
RPI outscored Emmanuel 30-14 in the paint and generated 18 points off turnovers, while the Saints connected on 12 three-pointers, including eight in the second half. Beaudet led Emmanuel with a game-high 26 points.
