UTICA, N.Y. – Russell Sage College continued its challenging beginning to Empire 8 Conference play with tonight's 77-63 loss at Utica, the top seed in the past two Conference Championship Tournaments.
Junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) and junior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) each scored 14 points to lead the Gators, which commenced this year's conference slate against the defending E8 Tournament Champion Saint John Fisher, Nazareth, the Tournament runner-up, and Utica, now 55-11 overall and 34-2 in E8 games since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Senior forward Tahirou Hamidou (Bronx, NY/Carolina Basketball Academy/Livingstone) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while junior guard Marcus Gentile (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central/Utica) and freshman guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) dished out two assists apiece.
Sophomore guard Dayion Thompson topped all participants with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Sophomore forward Liam Teague added 12 points, while guard Justice Brantley, a graduate student, the reigning E8 Player of the Week, contributed 10 points.
The Gators hung with the host Pioneers, now winners of four in-a-row, for much of the contest, trailing 52-48 with 12:38 left in the second half. Utica (9-2/2-0 E8), which made 53.8 percent of its shots, gained control with a 9-2 run across the next 3:19, keyed by Thompson, who tallied seven of the points.
RSC (6-5/0-3 E8) takes on Keuka tomorrow at 4:00 pm.
Gator Bites: Head coach Brian Barnes is in his 15th season at the helm of the Gators…Seven returnees and eight newcomers comprise this year's roster…The team's co-captains: Girard, senior guard Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) and Williamson helped the Gators get off to a 4-0 start…Girard entered the weekend leading the Gators with 17.3 points per-game, good for fourth in the E8... He recorded 31 points, a career-high, on 10-of-16 shooting in the November 18 win at SUNY Poly...Brown added 12.9 points per-game, while Williamson averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds...An RSC player has taken home Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the week on four occasions...Freshman center Khalel Noteman (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) was picked three times (November 13, November 27, December 4), while Springsteen was chosen on November 20.
