TROY, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team lost 52-49 on Wednesday evening against #17 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The exciting game went right down to the wire with the Engineers pulling ahead for good at the 3:04 mark. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 6-5 on the season. With the win, the Engineers improve to 8-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Wildcats would race out to a 7-0 lead to start the game highlighted by baskets from Mitch Kernizan, Jesse O'Dell, and Dylan Ernst. The Wildcats would keep the momentum going, exchanging baskets with the nationally-ranked Engineers and getting key stops on defense. A Cheickne Toure layup with 7:48 to go in the first half would put the Wildcats up 17-9, before an Engineers 8-2 run highlighted by an Avery Eugster three-pointer would cut the lead to 19-17. Toure would again make a key basket for the Wildcats, hitting a jump shot to extend the Wildcats' lead to 21-17 going into halftime.

The Wildcats would carry the momentum into the second half, extending their lead to 26-17 highlighted by a Toure three-pointer and a layup from Dylan Ernst. The Engineers would refuse to go away, however, using five consecutive points from Dom Black to take a 27-26 lead. The two teams would continue to exchange leads in the middle of the second half. Mitch Kernizan would score in bunches to keep the Wildcats in the game, who ended with a team-high 16 points. Chuck Clemons would hit a three-pointer with 3:04 left to put the Engineers up for good. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Jesse O'Dell grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

• Cheickne Toure scored a career-high 14 points.

• Dom Black and Chuck Clemons would each score 16 points for the Engineers.

• Jesse O'Dell led all players with three assists.

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will be back in action on Saturday, December 10th at Cazenovia College for a North Atlantic Conference game. The game will tip-off at 3:00 PM.