Last Tuesday, the Red Hawks traveled to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to play the Vassar College Brewers. The first 15 minutes of the first half were a close contest. RPI scored on the first lay-up by junior Ricky Philatre, but Vassar claimed a 5-2 lead after a lay-up and a three-pointer. Seven minutes later, the Red Hawks went up 14-10 after a jumper by sophomore Jeremy Bull. With five minutes left in the first half and RPI up by two, junior Tim Rupp made a lay-up that put the Red Hawks up 28-24 and started the game-changing run. By the end of the halftime, RPI took a 44-28 lead.
Vassar started the second half with a 10-0 run and cut the lead to 44-38 with 15 minutes left in play. The Red Hawks responded with their own 8-0 run, giving the largest lead of the day with 56-40. The Brewers refused to fall behind, scoring two three-pointers and a free throw, bringing the Red Hawks’ lead down to seven, 60-53. Vassar was unable to overcome RPI’s lead and another 5-0 run by the Red Hawks put the Brewers away, 69-59. This win marked Head Coach Mike Griffin’s 300th win. The Red Hawks out-rebounded the Brewers 51-31. Rupp scored a total of 14 points, while Bull and junior Jeremy Colon scored 13 points.
On January 23, RPI faced St. Lawrence University in another close game. Just under seven minutes in, sophomore DJ Blakemore made a jumper to cut the Saints’ advantage to 13-12. The Saints continued to hold a small advantage until a Rupp three-pointer with 7:43 remaining in the first gave RPI the first lead of the game, 21-20. The Red Hawks expanded on this lead, ending the first half up 36-31. Leading with 45-40 less than five minutes into the second half, RPI went on a 7-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to push its advantage to 12 points. The Saints closed the gap over the next six minutes, eventually tying the game at 59, but RPI quickly regained the lead and held onto it for the win, 78-72. Blakemore scored a career-high 19 points, while senior Sam Simmons had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rupp collected 16 points with the team-best three assists.
The next day, RPI faced Clarkson University at home in what proved to be a very intense game. Throughout regulation, the score was back and forth between the Red Hawks and the Golden Knights. With 30 seconds left, they were tied 64-64, forcing an overtime. In the first overtime, the Golden Knights gained a four-point lead with less than two minutes left. A pair of free throws brought the Red Hawks only two points behind the Golden Knights. Colon was able to come up with a steal with under 10 seconds left. At mid-court, he found Bull who got a layup right before the buzzer, sending the game to a 70-70 tie and a second overtime. Clarkson gained a 75-72 lead just under a minute into the second half. Blakemore answered with three of his own baskets for RPI before Simmons gave the hosts the lead at 77-75 with two minutes remaining. Clarkson tied the game once again before retaking the lead by two. The Red Hawks ran the clock to 12 seconds before Bull made a drive to the basket; however, he was called for a travel and had to turn over the ball with 9.4 seconds left. A Clarkson forward drew contact from Simmons with 1.5 ticks on the clock, and a Clarkson team member made the second of two free throws bringing the Golden Knights to a one-point win over the Red Hawks, 79-80. Simmons held the team-high of 23 points with seven rebounds, six blocks, four steals, and two assists. Blakemore scored 18 points with four boards and two assists, while Rupp and sophomore Mike Brion both gained 11 points.
This loss brought the Red Hawks to a 9-7 overall record with a 3-2 record in the Liberty League. Currently in the league, the Red Hawks place third behind Hamilton College and St. Lawrence, respectively. This week, RPI will face area rivals Skidmore College and Union College on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
