This past weekend the RPI men’s basketball team fought the good fight in their league openers facing No. 7 Hobart College, followed by No. 4 Hamilton College. They split the weekend overall with a 15-point win over Hobart and a close five-point loss to Hamilton.
The Red Hawks started out the first half against the Statesmen with an escalating response to a three-point swoosh handed by senior John Grazioli. Freshman Jeremy Bull gained the lead for the Red Hawks with 17:14 left in the first and they never gave it back, steadily maintaining a six-to-eight point advantage. Bull sunk free-throw after free-throw, missing only one out of nine over the night, and added in a few layups along the way to lead the game in scoring with 16 points. Senior Sam Simmons, the team’s overall leader in scoring, also had a great showing with 12 points, which beat Hobart’s highest of 11. Senior Kris Kowalczyk did not miss a shot all night, sinking all three field goals and both three-pointers.
RPI fell behind fast in the first half against the Continentals, but rallied to close the gap throughout the first and take over the lead with 11:58 left in the second half, and did not give it back until the very end. Senior Sam Zullo commented on his teammate who started the comeback, “I would point out [sophomore] Ricky Philatre as a guy who really elevated his game. He had a monsterous dunk when we were down 9-0 that really got us going.” Zullo, who played his freshman year for Hamilton before transferring to RPI for the 2005-2006 season, has come to be one of RPI’s valuable players over-the-years. Hamilton’s sophomore Joe Manns outshined the Red Hawk’s top scorer sophomore Philatre by 11 points, racking up 21 over the game. Philatre made all five two-point field goals he attempted during the game, never missing a shot. Simmons and Kowalczyk were close behind with nine points each; Kowalczyk also sunk every attempt he made. Philatre played his best game of the year thus far, and according to teammate Zullo, “I would say it was one of the best games I have seen him play since he stepped on campus last year.”
Freshman Henrick Shou came off the bench to play in both games for the first time in his collegiate career, tallying the third-highest points of the team against Hobart with nine, and four more against the Continentals.
Last night they battled Vassar College, who hit hard in the second half to come out with the 71-57 win. RPI gained the lead 16 seconds into the first and lost it shortly after. They kept a steady pace throughout the first, not letting the Brewers gain too much of a lead. They gained the lead back with 5:58 left and went into the half with a 31-30 advantage, thanks to Bull’s free-throws. The Red Hawks kept up their matching of strengths, but with 7:10 left Vassar went on a rampage ending the game with a 14- point lead over RPI. Simmons outscored everyone on the court with 15 points in the game, Vassar’s highest scorer of the night was Tyson Brazell with 14.
This weekend the Red Hawks travel to battle the St. Lawrence University Saints and the Big Green of Clarkson University. St. Lawrence was the pre-season favorite to win the liberty league and they are currently averaging wins by 35 points per game. A promising weekend is ahead, and with the current momentum, RPI is looking at the big picture.
