St. Lawrence slaughters Engineers in overtime for Liberty League title

After the Engineers defeated the Skidmore Thoroughbreds and the first-seeded Ithaca Bombers, they traveled to St. Lawrence for a repeat of the 2009 Liberty League championship game—the last time the Engineers won the title.

Both teams battled in the opening 10 minutes. The Saints took the lead in the first few minutes, but three triples from the Engineers propelled them ahead and ultimately went up 17‒13 with nine minutes left in the half. However, the Engineers struggled to break down the Saints’ zone defense for the rest of the half. RPI’s lack of scoring compounded with the lethal St. Lawrence offense, allowing the Saints to go on an 18‒4 run to take a ten-point lead heading into halftime. With the Saints shooting over 56 percent from the field, the Engineers needed to find a way to break down their opponents in the second half.

After a tight first seven minutes of the new half, the Engineers managed to shut down the Saints, holding the hosts’ shooting to 22 percent and keeping them from scoring in the last eight and a half minutes of regulation. The Engineers inched closer and closer to St. Lawrence’s stagnant point total, but they racked up three shot clock violations that impeded their progress. RPI managed to tie it up at 42 with over three minutes remaining with free throws from Will Rubin, but went scoreless afterward. The game would be decided in overtime.

The Engineers once again struggled to find ways to exploit the Saints’ defense. When on offense, RPI held onto possession outside the three-point line. Stagnation and slow movement from the Engineers forced shooters to take low-percentage shots. RPI took all eight of its shots from beyond the arc, all of which missed. St. Lawrence scored eight points in overtime for the 50‒42 victory, their first Liberty League championship in 23 years.

The Engineers’ finish their season with a record of 19‒9, not good enough to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. Click here for the box score and here for St. Lawrence’s broadcast of the game.