Head Coach Mike Griffin and crew took to the court for the first time in the 2007-2008 season on Saturday, November 17 at the New York University Men’s Basketball Tip-Off Tournament versus SUNY Geneseo.

The Knights controlled the lead for the majority of the first half, and went into the break with a 32-23 lead. Senior Sam Simmons, classmate Sam Zullo, and freshman Jeremy Bull led the Red Hawks’ offense in the frame, each scoring six points as the men as a team shot 8-25 from the field—32 percent. Geneseo had a balanced attack in the first half; sophomore Jason Segarra was the catalyst, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

In the second half, the Knights attack only got stronger. At times, they led by as much as 15 points, and ultimately won the game by a final score of 69-56. Junior Jeff Howe was the high man for Geneseo as well as the game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Tarik Kitson added 19 and six while Scott Morton tallied 16 points, eight assists, and five boards to round out a very balanced Knights offense. Simmons led the way for the Red Hawks with 14 points and six boards. Bull netted 13 and Zullo added 12 for the Rensselaer men.

Geneseo controlled the glass, out-rebounding RPI 47-25, and also had a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint. Its team’s strong play also led to 15 second-chance points compared to Rensselaer’s zero.

The Red Hawks returned to action the next day versus Framingham State College on November 18 in a consolation game of the Tip-Off Tournament. The Rams grabbed the early lead and led by as much as nine during the course of the game. However, RPI slowly chipped away at the deficit one possession at a time and took its first lead at the 11:24 mark. At halftime, Rensselaer was up by three, 37-34. Bull and classmate Mike Brion were the sparks in the first half, each scoring eight points.

The second half turned out to be quite the battle. The Red Hawks found themselves in a strong position to close out the game up eight points, 57-49, with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. However, there was still a lot of time left on the clock and the Rams mounted a charge.

Framingham’s Michael Carey knocked down back-to-back three pointers to put his team up 64-60 with 1:53 left on the game clock. Simmons brought RPI within two with a bucket with only 15 second remaining in the contest. Senior Michael Costa of the Rams turned the ball over on the ensuing possession but made up for it by stealing the ball back.

Costa then, though, made one of two from the free throw line after being fouled, making it a 67-64 Framingham lead, but still leaving the door open for Rensselaer. Enter Zullo, who raced up the court and buried a 35-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 67 and send the contest into overtime.

In the extra period the fight continued, but while it remained close, RPI maintained the lead for the majority of play and held on for a 78-76 victory. Zullo was the catalyst for the Red Hawks with 18 points. Bull finished with 16 points—10 of 10 from the free throw line—and six boards. Brion chipped in with 14 and five. Carey of the Rams was the game’s high scorer with 20 points. The victory gave RPI the bronze trophy in the Tip-Off Tournament. It was a bittersweet finish in a tournament that the men felt they very well could have won.

The men hit the court again last Sunday for their home opener against 15th-ranked Williams College. The Ephs, true to form, came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Zullo drained a three at the 10:35 mark to tie the game, though, and ignited the grudge match that was to take place for the remainder of the contest. Rensselaer took a one-point lead, 36-35 into the break.

When the action resumed in the second half, the Red Hawks’ strong play over the first three minutes gave many the feeling that the men could compete with the Liberty League’s best and perhaps pull out this opening season upset. Williams, however, did all they could to make sure that would not happen, and reclaimed the lead, 43-42, at the 15:50 mark.

The Ephs worked their lead up to 11. RPI would fight to cut the deficit back to seven, but that would be as close as they would get, ultimately losing the contest by a score of 75-65. Chris Shavloy paved the way for Williams with 16 points. The Ephs also had three other players score in double figures. Simmons scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the losing effort. Zullo recorded 12 points while Bull added 10 and three.

So the Red Hawks find themselves 1-2 in the season’s early going. Zullo believes that the team can take a lot of positives from what they have seen on the court so far. “We are still dealing with injuries and we played the number 15 team in the country wire to wire all game long. We are starting to figure out each other out and play together, and all six of our freshman have been helpful in both games and practice which is rare for a varsity team,” said Zullo.

The men still have a long way to go and will look to work on playing intense defense possession by possession for the full 30 seconds allotted on the shot clock, and eventually work their injured players back into the lineup so that it is an easy transition for them. “Hopefully we will be able to peak during the conference games,” added Zullo.