The Red Hawks were back on the court this week as they began their competitive Liberty League schedule. Last week, junior Tim Rupp was named the Liberty League Co-Guard of the Week after his impressive performance in the game against the College of St. Joseph. Rupp scored a game-high of 24 points on nine of 15 shots from the floor. He also scored six of 11 baskets from beyond the arc, as well as adding five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Twenty-one of his points were recorded in the first half, which allowed RPI to lead 51-33 as they entered the second half. Currently, the Red Hawks hold an overall record of 7-6, with a 1-1 in their conference.
On January 16, the Red Hawks traveled to Hobart College to face the Statesmen in their first league match. The first half of the game was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, as neither could keep a lead for very long. At the conclusion of the first half, the Red Hawks were trailing 33-30. Junior forward Ricky Philatre gave the Red Hawks their first lead in the second half, 40-39, on a bucket down low about five minutes into the second half. RPI quickly built on this foundation as Rupp pushed the advantage, 46-39, on a three-pointer with just less than 13 minutes to go. Leading by only two points with less than one minute left in regulation, senior Rory Perner connected on four straight free throws to seal the victory for RPI, 71-68. Rupp finished the day with a double-double, a game-high of 22 points and 11 rebounds, and nine out of 19 shots from the floor, including three of six that were beyond the arc. Senior Sam Simmons added 14 points and four boards, and sophomore Mike Brion collected 13 points and six rebounds.
The next day the Red Hawks traveled to Hamilton College, where they faced the Continentals in a close game. In the opening half, RPI was able to hold on to a few brief leads, including a three-point advantage of 26-23 after Simmons made one of two shots from the line. When the first half ended, however, the Continentals and Red Hawks were tied at 27 points. Three minutes into the next half, Hamilton jumped to a six-point lead, which RPI had trouble catching. Sophomore DJ Blakemore hit a triple to pull within four points at 13:17, but Hamilton quickly pulled away shortly thereafter. With five minutes left to go, junior Jeremy Colon cut the deficit to three points. The Continentals were able to pull away, never leading by fewer than six in the final two minutes, with the Red Hawks losing 67-60. Simmons recorded 21 points with eight rebounds, while Brion collected 13 points throughout the course of the game.
After the first week of league competition, the Red Hawks are tied for fourth place with Clarkson University, while Hamilton and St. Lawrence University are currently in the lead.
On January 20, the Red Hawks traveled to Vassar College to play their third game of the league schedule. RPI will be hosting St. Lawrence on Friday and Clarkson on Saturday.
