TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team scored 17 of the first 19 points of the second half to turn a four-point lead into a 43-24 advantage and the Engineers were never threatened from that point in defeating Bard College 68-45 in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Arena. RPI improves to 17-4 overall and a conference-best 11-3, while the Raptors drop to 7-13 and 3-10.

Dom Black (2 points) and Jonny Angbazo combined for the first six points of the second half before Bard got a layup from Lazaro Panagiotounis to make the score to 32-24. The Engineers proceeded to score 13 unanswered points for a 45-24 bulge with 13:14 to play. Four different players tallied with Mason Memmelaar notching six points and Brian Kelly and Will Fredericks both registering three. Will Rubin had two. 

Bard scored the next two baskets but an old fashioned three-point play and a trey, both by Black, pushed RPI's lead to 23 points. Memmelaar made it 53-28 with a jumper with 10:15 to go and followed with a layup for a 55-28 advantage. Angbazo gave the Engineers a 29-point margin (57-28) with a pair of free throws with 8:06 remaining and an Avery Eugster hoop a minute after that put Rensselaer ahead with its largest lead, 61-31.

Black led all scorers with 17 points, while Memmelaar scored 13 and Angbazo had a dozen, along with seven rebounds. RPI shot 46.9 percent (15 of 32) in the final 20 minutes, while holding the Raptors to 35.7 percent (10 of 28) in the same span. 

Heston Tucker led Bard with 10 points on 5 of 5 shooting off the bench.

RPI is back in action on Friday when St. Lawrence University visits, while the Raptors host Skidmore College. Both games begin at 7:30pm.