ALBANY, N.Y. – An early SUNY Poly three-pointer bonanza proved to be too much for Russell Sage College in tonight's 85-69 Empire 8 Conference "Senior Night" setback.
The Wildcats (14-7/9-3 E8), which began the night leading the E8 in three-point field goal percentage and ranked third in the Conference in scoring offense, hit seven treys in the first half and ten overall in the road victory.
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, paced the Gators, which got off to their best start to a season since 2014-15, with 17 points. The two-year co-captain, the program's all-time leader for made three-pointers, currently has 1,088 career points, just eight away from moving into third place on the RSC career scoring list. He will also become just the third Gator with 200 career assists with his next helper.
Senior center Will Ruiz (Bronx, NY/Wings Academy), one of four players recognized in the pre-game "Senior Night" ceremony for their contributions to the program, and junior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC), who was announced as the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week on Monday, added 12 points apiece. Ruiz shot 6-of-9 from the field to tally a season-high in scoring.
Sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills), who began the week leading the Empire 8 Conference in blocks per-game and was ranked third in the Conference in rebounding, chipped in with nine points, while senior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) topped RSC with 10 rebounds.
SUNY Poly, featuring four players ranked among the top-13 on the circuit for points per-game, got the jump on RSC early, getting out to a 13-4 lead 3:30 in. The Gators trimmed the deficit to four with 3:14 left before the break, only for the visitors to regain control with a 9-2 run. Down 45-36 at the intermission, RSC was unable to get closer than seven in the second period.
Senior guard Cheickne Toure tallied 29 points, 17 of which came in the first half, to lead SUNY Poly, which locked up a spot in the E8 Championship Tournament with the win. He was one of four Wildcats in double figures.
Tonight closed the home portion of the regular season slate for RSC. The Gators (13-8/6-6 E8) will play their final four games away from home, starting tomorrow at 4:00 PM at Utica.
Senior Night: Before the contest, RSC Athletics recognized four players: Girard, Ruiz, Williamson, and center Ivan Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Longreach/Wells) for their contributions to the men's basketball program.
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 ended the night fourth in program records with 1,088 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…A. 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 third in the E8 in rebounding… Harris, who was announced as the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, February 2…He averaged 25.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting across three games.
