CHICOPEE, MASS. – Russell Sage College commenced its season with this afternoon's 74-52 non-conference victory at Elms.
The Gators shot 46.6 percent from the field, including 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, and had five players tally eight or more points to earn the road triumph.
"The coaching staff is proud of our togetherness and positivity this afternoon to start the season off with a collective effort," said Head Coach Brian Barnes. "I thought Elms Coach Chris Piscioneri did a great job having his guys ready to go and bothering us with a consistent zone look in the first half. We had a couple of runs each half that felt like the difference in the game. We're looking forward to getting back to work on Monday and preparing for our next opponent."
Senior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) topped RSC with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and dished out a team-best three assists..
Junior guard Trevor Green (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh/HVCC) contributed 11 points on 50.0 percent shooting and nine rebounds in his RSC debut, while sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills) added 10 points and seven boards.
Senior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field en route to 11 points.
Trailing by six midway through the opening half, the Gators (1-0) turned the tide with a 19-2 run across 7:43, including keeping the Blazers scoreless for 4:27. Junior guard Mike McLaughlin (Clearwater, FL/Clearwater) kicked off the stretch with a three-pointer and layup. He tallied eight points in the season opener.
After Elms (0-1) got within two shortly before the break, RSC put itself back into the driver's seat with a 22-5 jaunt spanning 7:29 around the intermission. The Gators held a double-digit advantage for the final 18:52.
Sophomore guard Andrew Ciaglo paced Elms with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
RSC plays next on Wednesday at MCLA.
Gator Bites: The 2024-2025 season marks the 16th for Brian Barnes at the helm of the Gators...Nine returnees combined with seven newcomers on this year's squad…Girard and Williamson were voted co-captains of the program…Girard began the campaign seventh among Gators with 832 career points and fifth with 101 career steals…He headed into his senior season as the program leader with 110 made three pointers.
