BOSTON, Mass. – The RPI men's basketball team opened its 2026-27 campaign with a 64-49 setback against Endicott College on Friday evening in neutral-site action at the Emmanuel College Tournament inside the Jean Yawkey Center.
Billy Feeks paced the Engineers with a team-high 11 points, connecting on three shots from beyond the arc while adding four assists.
PJ Scalisi and
Rotimi Esiso each contributed 10 points, with Scalisi collecting a team-best seven rebounds and Esiso shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.
Yechiel Stewart added five points and three assists, while
Nate Shillingford pulled down six rebounds in his collegiate debut.
The Engineers traded baskets with Endicott in the opening minutes, with Stewart knocking down an early three-pointer before adding a layup to even the contest at 5-5. Endicott gradually established control, using an 8-2 stretch to move ahead 13-7 before
Zach Hart and Scalisi connected on baskets to keep RPI within striking distance.
The Gulls began to pull away midway through the opening half, building a double-digit advantage behind a balanced offensive attack. Endicott pushed its lead to 22 late in the period before Feeks connected from deep and Esiso added a layup to trim the deficit. The Gulls carried a 37-16 advantage into halftime.
RPI showed improvement offensively coming out of the break, with Feeks drilling a pair of three-pointers in the opening three minutes of the second half. Esiso followed with a layup and a three-pointer of his own, helping the Engineers find their rhythm as they cut the margin to 15 at 44-29 following a Scalisi jumper.
Endicott responded with a 16-5 stretch to extend its advantage to 60-34 midway through the second half. The Engineers continued to battle down the stretch, with Scalisi scoring five consecutive points during a late push before
Kellen Driscoll added a jumper. RPI outscored the Gulls 15-4 over the final six minutes to close the contest.
The Engineers improved their shooting percentage from 26.9% in the opening half to 47.6% after halftime, finishing at 36.2% for the game. RPI held a 37-32 advantage on the glass and outscored Endicott 33-27 in the second half. Elijah Kinney led the Gulls with 17 points as Endicott shot 41.4% from the floor and connected on eight three-pointers.
