TROY, N.Y. - Jonny Angbazo had 20 points, three others reached double digits and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team shot 52.6 percent from the field in defeating Clarkson University 80-53 in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Arena. The Engineers are now 19-4 overall and 13-3 in the conference, good enough for first place with a week to go in the regular season. The Golden Knights fall to 5-18 and 2-14.

Angbazo got the scoring started with a free throw 13 seconds into the game and RPI went on to tally 15 of the next 17 points for a 16-2 lead five minutes into the game. Angbazo had a jumper, Brian Kelly hit a three, Mason Memmelaar scored on a layup, Kelly nailed two more from behind the arc and Memmelaar made on a jumper, all while holding Clarkson to a Joe Lucas jumper. 

The Golden Knights managed to cut the deficit to eight points midway through the half and again with 7:22 to go, both on treys from Garret Delaney, but another three from Kelly pushed the difference back to 11 points (21-10) and a dunk by Memmelaar gave RPI a 25-15 lead. Kelly had five hoops from long range in the first half to register 15 points at the break, which came with the home team leading 37-22.

Junior Will Fredericks made certain Clarkson was unable to mount a comeback in the second half by going 5 for 5 from the field, including four triples and an emphatic dunk on his last attempt, which made it a 26-point game (69-43) with seven minutes to play. He finished with 14 points in 10:18 off the bench.

Angbazo, a junior, was 8 of 13 with several dunks of his own, including one on an and-1, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Kelly finished with 18 points, while Memmelaar scored 17 with nine rebounds and a team-best five assists. 

Ryan Miles-Ferguson led the Golden Knights in points with nine, rebounds with four, assists with six and steals with two.

Clarkson was held to 37.3 percent shooting (22 of 59), while the Engineers made 30 of 57 shots. RPI had a 42-25 advantage in rebounds and a 23-13 bulge in assists.

Rensselaer visits RIT on Friday and Hobart on Saturday to close out the regular season. The conference playoffs begin the week of February 20. Clarkson has games remaining with Union (Friday) and Skidmore (Saturday).