Last Tuesday, the men’s basketball team played host to the Blazers of Elms, defeating them 91-55.
The Red Hawks, who appeared to be much more talented than the Blazers, played sluggishly in the first half. This led to a mere 2 point Rensselaer lead at the half.
In the second, Head Coach Mike Griffin started a lineup of all seniors, and this seemed to jumpstart the Red Hawks.
Senior Tri-Captain Justin Leonard was in the zone, and it seemed as if he simply could not miss from downtown. Leonard finished with 17 points, hitting five of his seven shots from behind the three-point arc. Junior Dean Pierce notched 11 points, connecting on all five of his shots from the field. Senior Kahlil Fitzgerald poured in 14, and collected 14 rebounds. Sophomore Kevin Moore chipped in with 12.
With that win in hand, the Red Hawks turned their attention to the UCAA. First up on the schedule was the Statesmen of Hobart.
Rensselaer came out of the gate fast, as Junior Darryl Gentry connected on several shots. Hobart rallied to come even, and the two teams traded defensive stops as opposed to baskets. Neither team could find the bottom of the net for about a five minute period.
In the closing seconds of the half, Hobart held a 20-17 lead when the Red Hawks ran one last play. Senior Tri-Captain Tom Carrk drove the basket and then dished to Gentry, who connected on a three point basket. This made the half time score 20-20.
The second half opened up a little more. Both teams continued to play solid defense, but the scoring flowed more evenly.
The Red Hawks continued to hit baskets in key spots, but found themselves trailing by two with 19 ticks left on the clock. Despite several good shots, it seemed that nothing would fall, leaving Rensselaer with an 52-50 defeat.
"We played our most complete game of the season and we just came up short" said Head Coach Mike Griffin.
In addition to Gentry’s 15, Senior Doug Ullrich netted 10, hitting several keys baskets.
On Saturday, the Red Hawks took to the floor to take on the Continentals of Hamilton, the defending UCAA champions.
The Conts got off to a fast start, but the Red Hawks managed to rally to cut the lead to 2 points at 34-32. But, then Hamilton went on a run and headed into the half with a 14 point margin, 48-34.
The second half saw the Red Hawks come out flat. While they did make several small runs, they never came closer than 7, falling to Hamilton 86-77.
Ullrich had another strong game with 18 points and eight boards. Senior Tri-Captain Tom Carrk put in 12 points netting two out of three shots from three point range. Gentry, Fitzgerald, and Junior Kyle Kornelus each garnered 8.
Last night, the Red Hawks took on a newcomer to the UCAA, the Brewers of Vassar. The Red Hawks jumped out to a 15-point lead and managed to hold on for a 68-56 win.
Ullrich was unconscious in the first half, collecting 18 points, before finishing with 22. Senior Tri-Captain Bobby Hurley hit on three-of-five from beyond the arc, to finish with 11. Leonard sent several home from downtown to finish with 9, while Carrk had 8.
