Albany, NY – The Sage Colleges' men's basketball team hosted the Engineers of RPI on Tuesday night in the Kahl Gym in the Gators' home opener. The Gators racked up a school record 115 points in the contest en route to the 115-105 win. The performance betters the old mark of 101 points set in a match-up with RPI on November 22, 2011. With the win, Sage improves to 3-2 overall, while RPI drops to 0-3.
The Gators held a 51-41 lead at the break as junior center Jacob Sopchak (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck) led the way with 10 points off the bench as the Gators shot 53.7% (22-41) and held a 29-23 edge on the boards.
In the second half, Sage led by as many as 23 points (112-89 with 3:27) left to play before the Engineers chipped away at Sage's lead and pulled within 10 points in the final seconds of play.
The Gators got double-digit scoring from five players, including four starters as junior forward Kai Deans (Miami, FL/Monsignor Pace) tallied a team-best 18 points with seven rebounds, while senior forward Mason Horne (Albany, NY/LaSalle Institute) added 17 points. Senior guard Ryan LaBelle (East Berne, NY/Berne-Knox-Westerlo) tallied 16 points after making 4-of-5 three-point baskets in the action. Sophomore forward Melvin Ford (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) added 11 points, while Sopchak added 13 points for Sage.
RPI's sophomore forward Craig Fitzgerald (Winchester, MA/Winchester) had a team-best 20 points, a career-high and connected for 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Three players finished with 12 points each for the Engineers as well as senior guard Nick Keefe (Rensselaer, NY/Columbia), junior guard Josh Dugas (Monroe, CT/St. Luek's), and senior guard Reggie Colas (Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit) all tallied 12 points. Sophomore forward Chase Almond (South Kingstown, RI/South Kingstown) added 11 points off the bench with three blocks and two steals for the Engineers.
Overall on the game, Sage made seven three-point baskets and shot 63.6% from three-point range, while holding 56-48 edge on the boards. The Gators held RPI to just 25.7% from three-point range as they made just 9 of 35 three-point attempts.
Sage will return to action on December 2 hosting the College of Mt. St. Vincent in the team's Skyline Conference opener. First tip is set for 8 p.m. as Sage holds their "White Out Night" and is asking fans to wear to the game. In addition, the Gators will also host "Faculty Appreciation Night" and all Sage faculty in attendance will receive prizes. RPI is back in action on December 1 hosting Middlebury College in a 1 p.m. contest.