Cobleskill clobbered in home opener

For the first time in 30 years, the Engineers racked up over 100 points in their home opener, crushing SUNY Cobleskill 101‒48. Jonny Angbazo ’23, Mason Memmelaar ’22, and Patrick Mahoney ’22 all tallied double-digit points in the victory.

The first points of the contest would come after a minute, when Dom Black ’22 intercepted a Cobleskill pass and drove to the basket for a layup. The Tigers came back up the court, but Angbazo was there for a big block, proving that the Engineers would not easily give up points. Cobleskill continued to struggle on offense, missing shot after shot, but they broke the ice six minutes later when Mike McKoy knocked down a three-pointer, bringing the score to 8‒3.

That was the start of the Tigers’ comeback as they clawed back into the game. Cobleskill’s Juwan Malone hit a three to tie the game at 8, and followed it up with another basket to give them their only lead of the entire game. The Engineers sought to flex their shooting talent. Swishes from Angbazo and Brian Kelly ’23 from beyond the arc regained the lead at 14‒13.

Angbazo was a menace in the paint as his strength allowed him to drive to the rim through contact. Memmelaar, too, was a nuisance, collecting offensive rebounds to keep plays alive. Angbazo added a play to his highlight reel after he tipped an inbound and took it to the rim for a one-handed jam. He also showed off his passing when he threw a dime to Memmelaar in the paint. Memmelaar took off both feet for a two-handed slam and drew the foul for an and-one. He converted the free throw to extend Rensslaer’s lead to 25‒17 with over seven minutes remaining in the half.

The Tigers went on a 3:52 scoring drought that finally ended with about five minutes left in the half, when Yandeel Vasquez sank a three to bring the score to 31‒20. The Engineers continued their offensive dominance. They would ultimately finish off the half with a lead of 44‒26.

The Engineers must have spent halftime in a walk-in freezer—they were ice-cold for the first few minutes. But once they thawed, they were unstoppable. Four minutes into the half, Angbazo converted an and-one to extend the RPI lead to 55‒30. Nearly a minute later, Cobleskill collapsed onto itself, leaving RPI’s Brian Kelly ’23 wide open for a three to double the Tigers’ score 61‒30.

With less than 13 minutes remaining, the Tigers snapped their six-minute scoreless stretch, during which the Engineers had put up 19 unanswered points. The ball would come back down the court. Angbazo dished it off to Cam Bleibtrey ’22 and McKoy rushed over to make the block. A pump fake from Bleibtrey sent McKoy flying and drained a three to put the Engineers up 68‒32. RPI continued to show their command on offense as they consistently drew and-ones. With ten minutes remaining, the Engineers were pulling away and the young bench was put into the game.

Cobleskill was starting to bring it back, but the Engineers’ determination was enough to hold them off. RPI was hustling on both ends of the floor, showing how everyone on the team came to play. The Engineers would take the victory 101‒48.

The stars of the game were the starting frontcourt—the combination of Angbazo, Memmelaar, and Mahoney was lethal. Angbazo finished the night 75% from the field with 15 points, five assists, and seven rebounds; Memmelaar with 15 points, three steals, and seven boards, most of which on the offensive glass; and Mahoney with ten points, four assists, and six rebounds. The standout performer of the second half was Alex Parisotto ’25, who put up seven points and an assist in his eight minutes on the court.

This victory is the first time since 1991 that the Engineers have put up over 100 points at home, and the only time for this to happen at ECAV Arena. Their record is now 4‒0 on the season. Their next two games will be at home on December 3 and 4 against Hobart and RIT, respectively.

Click here for the box score.