ALBANY, N.Y. –  A Russell Sage College half-court heave rimmed out at the buzzer, giving visiting Keuka a 77-74 Empire 8 Conference victory this afternoon.

Guard Ryan Long (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park), a graduate student, registered a career-high 26 points in the E8 setback.  He shot 10-of-14 from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, during the matinee.

Junior guard/forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) added 16 points, while senior forward Charles Davis (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou Hamer) and sophomore guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) each recorded 12 points. Davis grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Girard tallied seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Senior guard Devin Milton, one of three Wolves in twin figures, paced all participants with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He provided four of the final six points for Keuka (3-2/1-1 E8), including a pair of made foul shots with two seconds remaining. The makes at the line forced the RSC half-court toss to be for a tie instead of the win.  The more than 45-footer by Girard hit the back of the rim and stayed out.

Junior guard Alijah Ellis and junior forward Mason VanDeMortel also were in double figures for the victors, scoring 16 and 13 points respectively.

RSC started the contest strong, shooting 54.5 percent from the field en route to a 27-15 first half lead.  Keuka stormed back with a 17-3 run across 4:27 to regain the lead.

Up 43-37 at the break, the Wolves increased their advantage to nine, before RSC trimmed the deficit. The Gators used a 16-6 run spanning 4:47 to go up 65-64 with 6:52 left.

The contest stayed within four with three ties from there.

This afternoon wrapped up 2022 for the Gators.  RSC (2-6/0-2 E8) is back in action on January 3 at SUNY Cobleskill.

Notes: The Gators, coming off an Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament appearance, graduated all five starters from last season…Nine players, accounting for just 21.22 percent of scoring and 16.82 percent of rebounding, are back…They joined nine newcomers to make up this year's roster…Sophomore guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) and guard Ryan Long (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park), a graduate student, were voted co-captains...Head Coach Brian Barnes, now in his 14th season, began the campaign with a 167-153 overall record.

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