Engineers get scratched by Tigers

Rensselaer began the game in a full-court press defense; while this allowed them to better take time off the clock, it sometimes left themselves open to the ball getting behind them for easy RIT baskets. Although they generated good pressure on the ball, they gave up many wide-open threes off of the screen. Offensively, the Engineers scored primarily on the inside, with a great and-one layup by Julia Rowe emphasizing this as the highlight of the quarter. They also began to force turnovers leading to points in transition. At the end of one, the Engineers found themselves only down by 4, 15-19.

Both teams' defenses started to buckle down in the 2nd quarter. The highlight plays included multiple blocked shots by Callie Flynn and an offensive foul taken by Ashlyn O’Neil, both times invigorating the team to keep fighting. However, RIT continued to make three-pointers, keeping the teams in lockstep heading into the half at 27-29, RPI down two.

The third quarter was stagnant as both teams struggled to break away from each other. Every time the Engineers made free throws or scored points inside, RIT made a three to get it all back. By the fourth quarter, the numbers were starting to add up. RPI only mustered three points in the final period, while RIT continued an onslaught of three-pointers to put the game away. The Engineers were unable to respond, falling to RIT 44-58. They will look to bounce back against William Smith College on Tuesday, January 14th. Click here for the box score.