ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College had four players score in twin figures in tonight's 73-69 Empire 8 Conference overtime loss to visiting Elmira.
Junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) topped the Gators with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
Senior guard/forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) contributed 14 points, three of which came via an "and one" with 3.5 seconds left to force the extra session, and six rebounds, while junior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) and freshman guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) scored ten points apiece. Williamson, in double figures for the fourth-straight contest, grabbed 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the campaign, while Springsteen registered five steals and three assists.
RSC grounded the Soaring Eagles, which began the week ranked second in the conference in team offense at 80.3 points per-game, early, using an 11-0 run to hold a 19-8 lead midway through the opening period. Elmira (6-8/2-3 E8) started to climb back into things to trail the Gators 34-29 at the break, part of RSC being ahead or deadlocked for the entire first half.
The visitors continued their positive momentum in the second half, taking their first lead of the night at 42-41 with 9:48 to go in regulation. With sophomore forward Tyler Cardello, the leading scorer in the E8, battling foul trouble, sophomore forward JJ Babcock picked up the slack to key the comeback. He recorded nine of his team-high 20 points in the second half, while totaling 14 rebounds and five blocks.
Cardello, who was averaging 22.1 points per-game, still ended up with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He was 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, including a four makes during the overtime stanza. Babcock added four points and two blocks in the extra time, helping Elmira force RSC into 29.2 field goal percentage (12-of-41) after halftime.
Looking ahead, the Gators (6-7/0-5 E8) continue a run of four-consecutive home games tomorrow at 4:00 pm vs. Alfred.
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: junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls), senior guard Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) and junior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) helped the Gators get off to a 4-0 start…Girard entered the weekend leading the Gators with 17.0 points per-game, good for fifth 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 11.4 points per-game, while Williamson averaged 8.3 points and 5.8 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 freshman guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) was chosen on November 20.
