ONEONTA, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men's Basketball got back in the win column on Tuesday night with a 86-74 Empire 8 Conference win at Hartwick.
The Gators were down 69-68 with five minutes left in the contest and outscored the Hawks 18-5 for the remainder of the game to grab their ninth victory of the season.
Junior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) led the way for the Gators, scoring 17 points and reeling in four rebounds.
Senior forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY/Catholic Central/Fredonia State) scored 16 points, nine of those coming during the Gators' game-sealing final five minutes, and added seven rebounds.
Senior center Will Ruiz (Bronx, NY/Wings Academy) and senior forward Tahirou Hamidou (Bronx, NY/Carolina Basketball Academy/Livingstone) each contributed an even dozen to the scoring effort.
Freshman forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills) increased his career high for the second-straight game, scoring eight points and adding a Gator-high eight rebounds.
Hartwick (1-19/0-13 E8) sophomore guard Daniel Oyediran was the evening's leading scorer, contributing 21 points and adding four rebounds.
Sophomore guard Shea Barber had 18 points, while freshman guard Malachi Polson and sophomore forward Xymeir Thomas tallied 11 points apiece. Freshman forward Henry Perkins (Albany/Green Tech) dished out six assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
Looking ahead, RSC (9-13/2-11 E8) stays on the road as they head to Alfred on Friday night.
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 commenced the week leading the Gators with 16.5 points per-game, good for sixth 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 9.8 points per-game, while Williamson averaged 8.1 points and 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 freshman guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) was chosen on November 20…RSC began the week ranked third in the E8 by allowing 70.7 points per-game.
