The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team defeated RPI 50-42 in overtime to win the 2023 Liberty League Championship in a standing-room only crowd on Sunday afternoon in Burkman Gymnasium.
The Scarlet and Brown extended their winning streak to eight and improve to 19-7 win the win. RPI fell to 19-9 with the loss.
Junior Trey Syroka was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, finishing the two games with 22 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and four steals while playing 41 minutes per game.
"It's kind of a surreal moment," Syroka said. "The goal all year was to win the championship, but when you actually do it, it's hard to believe. I want to shoutout my teammates, we've grinded all year for this, it feels really good to get it done."
C A Hill Photo
The Saints held the Engineers to just 42 points in 45 minutes of basketball. They shot 31.5-percent from the floor and were held scoreless in overtime.
"We knew coming in that we were the top two defensive teams in the league," Syroka said. "When you play a zone, you've got to all move as one, and we've done a good job of that all year."
Will Engelhardt provided the offensive spark for the Saints, finishing with three triples on his way to 17 points. The senior also grabbed 10 boards to record his first double-double of the season. Trent Adamson scored a dozen and had four blocks and four rebounds.
Engelhardt scored on the opening possession of overtime to give the Saints the early lead, and both defenses locked down. Neither team scored for almost three minutes, when Engelhardt hit an off-balanced jumper as the shot clock expired to extend the lead to four. The senior would then hit a pair of free throws, and Syroka iced the game, going 2-2 from the line.
"This league is so tough," said head coach Chris Downs, "and to win two games in overtime to get the championship is a testament to how tough and well coached the teams in this league are. This environment, all the students, fans, and families, came out and the campus spirit was as good as I've seen it in 25 years. Our kids must be well-liked on campus because they brought a ton of people in."
The NCAA will announce the tournament field and matchups on Monday, February 27th at 1 p.m. live on NCAA.org.