Engineers trade wins with Golden Knights

The women’s team’s first quarter began in a back-and-forth manner, with RPI starting the game sloppy with three straight turnovers. Soon after, they recovered and began to execute some well-run plays to give themselves easy shots. Ashlyn O’Neil made a nice cut off a screen to score under the basket, before following it up on the next play with a midrange pull-up jumper that swished right through the net. Sydney Blaney also contributed with two three-pointers early, keeping the offense for the Engineers flowing. At the end of the first, RPI led over Clarkson 16-11.

The second quarter featured more of the same; O’Neil and Blaney continued their strong play, and the Engineers were able to maintain the lead on Clarkson. However, they struggled to extend the lead; there were many transition plays that featured overthrown passes which resulted in turnovers. These allowed Clarkson to stay in the game and keep it close going into the half, with RPI still on top 30-24.

The Engineers finally began to pull away in the second half, this time led by the defense forcing turnovers and creating easy baskets in transition. The highlight play was a pair of back-to-back blocks by forward Callie Flynn, capping off a dominant third quarter and putting the Engineers up by ten. However, down the stretch in the fourth quarter, the Engineers struggled to close the game, forcing difficult shots and getting out-hustled by Clarkson. In shocking fashion, RPI lost the lead and fell to Clarkson 55-59. The boxscore can be found here.

The men’s team followed with better luck against the Golden Knights. From the opening tip, it seemed like everything was firing on all cylinders for the Engineers. They started by making three straight three-pointers to start the game, opening an 11-0 lead out of the gate and never looking back. Avery Eugster led the way with 17 points and three three-pointers, showing a confident stroke and allowing the offense to thrive. On defense, they forced 12 first-half turnovers, making the Clarkson offense look out of sorts and disjointed. All of this resulted in a dominant first half, with the Engineers taking a commanding 43-21 first-half lead. They would only build on that in the second half, extending their lead to route the Knights 78-51. RPI now prepares for the Liberty League Tournament, of which they are the number one seed at 14-4 in the conference. They will host the semifinals this Friday, February 28. The box score can be found here.