UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team beat RPI on Wednesday night 59-56 on a special night where they honored the late AD and Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Grimmer with a court dedication ceremony. The Wildcats, who trailed the majority of the game, showed toughness at the end of the game and were able to pull out the non-conference victory. With the win, the Wildcats move to 2-1 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After an emotional court dedication ceremony, the Engineers would get off to a hot start, and take an initial 7-2 lead in the first few minutes of the game. An LJ Randle three-pointer and lay-up would even the score at 7-7. Randle would finish with an efficient 13 points, only taking nine shots in the game. The Engineers' first half was highlighted by Jonny Angbazo, who finished the game with a team-high 26 points. At half, the Wildcats would trail 35-30.
The Engineers would waste no time getting hot again in the second half, extending their lead to 44-32 with just under 14 minutes to play. The Wildcats would immediately cut the 12-point deficit on a three-point shot from Cheickne Toure, assisted by Jarrett Wilbur. Toure would finish with a team-high 19 points.
Toure would score the next five points to cut the Engineers lead to 48-43 with 11 minutes to play. Two Anthony Rose free throws would cut the score to 48-45 to make it a one-possession game with 8 minutes to play. A major point in the game came at the 5-minute mark when Toure drove into the lane for a layup, then was immediately followed up with a three-point shot by Randle after a big defensive stop to even the score 52-52. Rose and Angbazo would exchange layups twice apiece to push the score to 56-56. The difference maker would come with :59 seconds left when Randle made a tough layup and was fouled on the play. He would connect on the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. The Wildcats would make a stop on defense and hold on for the 59-56 victory.
NOTABLE STATISTICS:
- Rose, Toure, and Randle would all finish in double digits for the Wildcats.
- Dylan Ernst finished with a team-high 7 rebounds.
- Angbazo finished with a team-high 26 points for the Engineers.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back at home on Saturday, November 18th for a 2:00 PM game against Russell Sage.