ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Russell Sage College clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament with tonight's 76-58 win at Nazareth.
The Gators (14-9/7-7 E8), heading to the postseason for the first time since 2022, used a big second half to secure the road victory. RSC shot 53.3 percent from the field and outscored Naz 41-27 after the intermission. A 45-21 run spanning the break put RSC up 20 with 4:42 left.
"I'm really proud of our group tonight," said Head Coach Brian Barnes. "We had great positivity and togetherness right from the start. This was a total team win, with many contributions. We've hung our hats all season long on taking pride in our defense and rebounding. It felt like we got back to that tonight and of course it was great to welcome Trevor Green (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh/HVCC) back as well."
Junior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) led all players with 19 points on 8-of-19 shooting. He was one of four Gators in twin figures.
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 16 points, while Green, a junior guard, added 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four assists in his return to the lineup.
Sophomore forward Avery Oduro-Dompreh (Elkridge, MD/Oakland Mills), who began the week leading the Conference in blocks per-game and was ranked third in the E8 in rebounding, contributed 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and nine rebounds.
Senior guard Luke Insley paced Nazareth (14-9/9-5 E8) with 19 points, while junior guard Jaylen Savage, who began the weekend atop the E8 in scoring at 21.1 points per-game, tossed in 18.
RSC, going to be making its fourth E8 playoff appearance, plays tomorrow at 4:00 PM at Saint John Fisher.
Gator Bites: The 2024-2025 season marks the 16th for Brian Barnes at the helm of the Gators...RSC which boasts the top defense 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…The E8 Tournament begins on Saturday, February 22...Nine returnees combine with seven newcomers on this year's edition…Girard and senior forward Todd Williamson (Schenectady, NY/Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons) 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…He moved into third place on the program's career scoring list on February 8 at Utica…The co-captain, who entered the weekend with 1,102 career points, is guaranteed to finish his senior season ranked in the top-three 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 third in the E8 in rebounding…Harris 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.
