The RPI men’s basketball team was on and off the court throughout this winter break, where they were able to start off the season on a high note. The Red Hawks finished up their non-league game season and will start the Liberty League schedule this week.
On December 2, the Red Hawks faced the College of St. Joseph in Vermont in a well-matched event. With a 60.7 percent overall shooting percentage, however, the Red Hawks were able to defeat the Fighting Saints with a score of 98-67. Senior forward Sam Simmons led the team with a total of 24 points including six rebounds, followed by junior Jeremy Colon with 12 points. Junior Tim Rupp ended the game with 11 points and five rebounds.
The Red Hawks were back on the court on December 4 against Southern Vermont College on their home turf. They held a 62-61 lead with 6:18 minutes remaining when the Mountaineers went on a 10-2 run to edge past the Red Hawks and claim a victory of 75-73. Rupp led the team with a total of 13 points with seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Simmons marked his name in the record books with his sixth point of the game, as he became the 13th player in school history to surpass the 1000 point mark. At the conclusion of this game, he had 1003 points in his career.
For their final game before the commencement of break, the Red Hawks hosted the Wentworth Institute of Technology on December 6. After giving up the first basket to the Leopards, the next 21 of 31 points were made by senior Brad Bryant. The Red Hawks were able to hold on to their early lead, gaining their largest lead in the game of 17 points with a little over 15 minutes left in play. The Leopards never got any closer than 12 points, finishing the game behind the Red Hawks, 84-71.
Following a three-week break, the Red Hawks traveled to Middlebury College on December 30. The Red Hawks opened with an early lead, but found a back-and-forth battle throughout the majority of the first half, finishing that half behind the Panthers 30-34. Although Simmons had a game high of 25 points, RPI could not overcome the solid defensive effort of the Panthers, who continued to take advantage of the Red Hawks’ fouls and turnovers, ending the game with a loss of 46-62.
On the weekend following New Year’s, the RPI men’s basketball team traveled to Williamstown, Mass., where they participated in the Purple and Gold Invitational. Their first match was against the Kean University Cougars, who gained a lead early in the first half. The Cougars’ man-to-man defense allowed only six points for the Red Hawks in the first 13 minutes. Twice during the second half the Red Hawks were able to cut Kean’s lead to seven points, but they were never able to take control successfully, finishing the game with a loss of 54-72. Simmons led all scorers with 22 points, with Rupp recording 11 points and three assists.
The second game of the invitational was against the City College of New York, where the Red Hawks dominated most of the plays. After a back-and-forth battle in the first four minutes of the game, RPI went on a 28-0 run fueled by junior Eric Anderson and sophomore DJ Blakemore. This put the Red Hawks in the lead with a score of 37-7, with five minutes left in the half. Anderson finished the first half with a total of 15 points on a perfect five of five shooting from the floor. Blakemore completed the half with six points and three assists. This 80-41 win marked Head Coach Mike Griffin’s 297th victory, tying the legendary Bill Kalbaugh for the most career wins by a basketball coach.
The Red Hawks finished up their non-league season hosting the College of St. Joseph on January 11. Rupp led RPI in the first half with 21 points, with the team reaching a score of 51-33. Out of his 11 attempted shots, eight scored, with five of those eight as three-point shots. He finished the game with a grand total of 24 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. This 79-58 win officially made Griffin the leader in career wins for RPI. He now holds a record of 298-293 in his 25-year career, passing Kalbaugh, who had 297-341 in his 30-year career.
Simmons was named Forward of the Week by the Liberty League this past week, as he has averaged 17 points per game, leading the team in scoring. He is one of three players to have started all of the first 10 games in the season.
The Red Hawks closed their non-league schedule with a 6-5 record. They will open their Liberty League schedule with Hobart College on January 16, followed by an away game at Hamilton College on January 17.
