SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Mason Memmelaar scored 23 points and Patrick Mahoney added 21 to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team to its 17th straight win, an 85-79 victory at Union College. The Engineers, who are now one victory from tying the school record for consecutive wins, improve to 17-2 overall and 12-0 in the Liberty League. They set the school mark for most league wins in a season on Saturday. The Dutchmen fall to 11-7 overall and 8-4 in the conference.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor in the first half, leading to a 40-40 tie at the break. RPI went ahead by seven points (49-42) two minutes into the second half, but that was the largest lead either team would have until Rensselaer's Will Rubin hit a jumper for a 61-54 edge eight minutes later. Union scored the next nine points for a two-point lead with 8:27 to play.

The momentum swung back to the Engineers, who took a 72-66 lead on a Kevin Davis basket with 3:35 to go, but a Nate Freeman three pointer pulled the home team to within 72-69 just 30 seconds later. Memmelaar scored a pair of baskets, but Freeman again answered with a three to make the score 76-72 with 1:27 left. Memmelaar got free underneath for another basket and freshman Will Rubin made two free throws for an 80-72 lead with 51 seconds to play. 

The Dutchmen clawed to within four points on a Mike Concannon basket, but Memmelaar hit a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game with 11 seconds remaining.

The sophomore forward made 10 of 13 shots from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line to lead the Engineers. He also had six rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots in 29 minutes. Mahoney, a junior forward, went 8 of 14 from the field, including 5 of 5 from three-point range, while pulling down two rebounds and adding two assists. Dom Black scored 14 points with a team-high nine rebounds, three assists and three steals and Rubin finished with 11 points and six assists.

Freeman had 27 points to lead all scorers, while Concannon had 18. Two others reached double digits in scoring for the Dutchmen, who made 50 percent of their shots. They made 14 of 28 three point attempts.

RPI, which hosts Ithaca College on Friday night at 7:30pm, finished with a shooting percentage of 58.9 percent, including 61.5 percent in the second half.