HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Saturday matinee pitting Russell Sage College, the top defense in the Empire 8 Conference, and Houghton, the Conference's top scoring offense, came down to the buzzer. Down 71-69, the host Highlanders had the ball in the hands of guard Christian Sage, one of the E8s scoring leaders who had 23 points already. The guard's top of the arc three-point attempt was swatted away by RSC sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills) to put the important E8 contest in favor of the Gators.
Oduro-Dompreh, who began the week leading the E8 in blocks per-game and was ranked second in the Conference in rebounding, registered 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. The sophomore had 14 of his points after halftime to help RSC (13-7/6-5 E8) snap a four-game losing streak.
Junior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) continued his excellent week with a game-high 23 points on 11-of-21 shooting, four steals, four rebounds, and three assists. He provided the eventual game-winning points on a layup with seven seconds left and averaged 25.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting, including 50.0 percent from downtown, across three games this week.
Senior guard Noah Girard (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls), who became the fifth RSC player to surpass 1,000 career points in the January 17 home win vs. Saint John Fisher, added 13 points, while senior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) recorded a double-double of 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 11 rebounds.
"We're really proud of how our guys bounced back today after several disappointments this week, said RSC Head Coach Brian Barnes. "I felt our execution down the stretch both offensively and defensively was really good and that's a credit to the team for continuing to learn and always having a growth mindset. Obviously we are so proud of the way Brandon Harris has been playing for us and it was only fitting to see him make the final clutch shot today!"
RSC got the jump on the Highlanders (11-9/6-5 E8), which entered the weekend as the top offense in the E8 and had three of the Conference's top-seven scoring leaders on its roster, to the tune of an 11-3 lead 4:04 into the contest. Houghton answered with a 10-0 run shortly before the intermission to trail 34-30 at the break. The contest stayed tight from there, no more than six points apart for the final 14:44, setting up the thrilling finish.
Sage, a grad student, topped the hosts with 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting. 15 of his points came in the second half.
The Gators are in the midst of a stretch where they play six of the final games of the regular season away from home. RSC's lone home game is Friday at 7:30 PM vs. SUNY Poly. The contest will serve as the program's "Senior Night".
Gator Bites: The 2024-2025 season marks the 16th for Brian Barnes at the helm of the Gators...RSC which boasts the top defense and best scoring margin in the E8, finish the regular season with seven of the final ten, including six of the last seven, games away from home…The Gators got off to a 12-3 record, their best start to a season since 2014-15…Nine returnees combine with seven newcomers on this year's edition…Girard and Williamson were voted co-captains of this year's squad…Girard, the program's career leader for made three pointers, became just the fifth Gator to surpass 1,000 career points in the home win vs. Saint John Fisher on January 17…The co-captain started the week fourth in program records with 1,039 career points…He is guaranteed to finish his senior season ranked in the top-four in RSC records for career points, career assists, and career steals…Williamson was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 5…He registered team-highs of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in the home win vs. SUNY Cobleskill on January 3…Oduro-Dompreh, is a presence in the post for the Gators...The forward began the week leading the Conference in blocks per-game and was ranked second in the E8 in rebounding.
