The nationally-ranked Hamilton Continentals, who have a 9-1 conference record, virtually locked up the Liberty League regular season title, and the right to host this year’s postseason tournament after defeating Rensselaer 76-60 in Robison Gym Saturday afternoon. RPI with an 8-4 mark, remains firmly perched in the third spot over Hobart (7-5) and Union (7-5) after the Red Hawks knocked off the Statesmen 75-69 Friday in Troy, and beat Vassar 67-63 Tuesday in Poughkeepsie.

The final score versus Hamilton is somewhat misleading. It strongly suggests a blowout, but that was hardly the case.

Rensselaer actually took a 31-28 lead into the intermission after holding the deadly Continental shooters to a meager 25 percent shooting and just 4-15 from beyond the arc against the RPI 3-2 zone. Hamilton was able to survive its poor shooting performance by grabbing 10 offensive rebounds, as the Continentals crashed four guys to the glass.

“They are the only team in the league that can bang with us,” Rensselaer Head Coach Mike Griffin said. “They have a group of guys who can really go up and get the ball in traffic.”

While Hamilton’s offense struggled, RPI’s was clicking—especially when the Red Hawks got out in transition. RPI was able to post a 40 percent field goal percentage thanks to numerous fast-break baskets, and displaying patience in their half-court sets. Neal Wesson was particularly solid off the bench for RPI, tallying nine points with a perfect 4-4 shooting display, including a three-ball.

Even when the Hamilton shooters did start to catch fire early in the second half, RPI remained composed. A Wesson jumper concluded a 9-3 mini-run by the Red Hawks and all but erased a seven-point Hamilton lead, making the score 49-48 Continentals with 10:34 left in the game.

With his team rolling and Hamilton reeling, Griffin would call a questionable timeout. And then the wheels fell off for Rensselaer.

RPI sputtered out of the timeout failing to score another basket until two Matt Zepernick free throws four minutes later. Hamilton, however, came out firing on all cylinders.

Out of the timeout Hamilton went on a 9-0 run, which ignited the 27-12 run the Continentals closed out the game on. Hamilton shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half and just under 60 percent from deep. RPI aided the charge by committing five of their 14 turnovers during the span and losing their composure after several questionable officiating decisions.

“We played with them for 30 minutes,” Senior forward and co-captain Tom Schneider said after the game. “I have no doubt we can play with them, we just can’t make mistakes late.”

Perhaps Hamilton’s crowning achievement of the night involved Schneider. The Continentals held RPI’s star forward to just 11 points on 4-14 shooting and 10 rebounds, leaving Schneider noticeably frustrated.

“They really went after him,” Griffin said. “Tonight he really had to battle for everything.”

Both Zepernick and Wesson matched Schneider’s team high of 11 and Joe Johnson added 10 points for the Red Hawks. Hamilton’s Tim Welchons led all scorers with 18 points behind 3-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

Despite the disappointing loss to Hamilton, the weekend was not a loss for RPI. The win over Hobart not only gave Rensselaer the coveted tie-breaker over the Statesmen, but also saw Schneider score his 1,000th career point and inch ever closer to third on the Rensselaer rebounding list.

Schneider dominated the game and the stat sheet with 27 points and 21 rebounds. His 1,000th point came on a fairly uneventful play after the Nashua, N.H., native stole the ball and then cruised in for a routine lay-up.

RPI, behind Schneider’s huge night, managed to overcome a six-point second half deficit; a relief for all the Red Hawks, especially after the team blew a 10-point first half lead.

Johnson and senior center Russell Herman added 10 points apiece to the Rensselaer effort. Hobart’s John Grazioli and Joe Virgilio and scored 25 and 22, respectively, in a losing cause.

The Vassar game was another grueling match up for Rensselaer, but Schneider posted another double-double to help the Red Hawks squeeze past their travel partner. His 18 points and 11 rebounds led a Red Hawk second half comeback effort. The effort pushed Schneider’s career point total to 1,037 and officially moved him into third on RPI’s all-time rebounding list with 783.

RPI trailed by as many as 10 during the game’s second session, but shot an amazing 60 percent from the field and 62 percent from the beyond to rally past the Brewers.

Sam Simmons, Wesson, and Zepernick all hit double digits for the Red Hawks. Wesson shot 4-8 overall and 3-3 from long range. The senior guard has shown continued improvement over the past weeks, an encouraging sign as RPI approaches a possible playoff run.

A loss against the Brewers would have put the Red Hawks’ playoffs future in significant peril, but now a mere split in Rensselaer’s last Liberty League weekend will earn the Rensselaer a playoff spot.