Men's basketball Picks up first Liberty League victory with win over St. Lawrence

By: Joe St. Pierre - Sports Information Intern

Dylan Heuer

Men's Basketball | 1/13/2012 9:55:00 PM

Box Score Click here for game stats

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's basketball team (5-7, 1-2 Liberty League) picked up its first ever Liberty League victory, defeating St. Lawrence (5-6, 2-2 Liberty League) 69-58 in front of a loud, boisterous crowd at Clark Gym on Friday evening.

Senior guard/forward Justin Heisig (Levittown, NY/Island Trees) led RIT with 24 points and 10 boards. He scored 18 of his points in the second half. Kurt Fenderbosch (Myrtle Beach, SC/Socastee) chipped in with a career-high 19 points, draining three 3-pointers on the evening. Freshman guard Desmond Scott (Murphy, TX/Plano East) added nine points and three assists.

St. Lawrence jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, but the Tigers fought back behind two threes by Kurt Fenderbosch (Myrtle Beach, SC/Socastee) to give RIT a 10-9 advantage.

RIT took a 19-13 lead off of a layup by Justin Heisig (Levittown, NY/Island Trees), but the Saints responded with a 6-0 run in less than one minute to tie the game at 19. The Tigers responded with six straight points of their own, sparked by four free-throws from Scott. With time winding down in the half, Brendan Harder (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) sunk a jumper from the baseline to give RIT a 27-21 advantage at the break.

St. Lawrence started out the second half with a quick 7-1 run, led by five points from Ralph Temgoua. RIT regained the lead with a 10-3 run, including five by Fenderbosch. After a three-point play by Garrett Sharlow cut the Tiger lead to four, Eric Travis (Chicago,IL/Hinsdale South) hit a nice lefty jump hook from inside the paint to put RIT up 42-36. The Tiger lead grew from there, reaching as many as 16, to earn the win.

Garrett Sharlow led the Saints with 18 points, while Terry Parham and Temgoua added 14 and 13, respectively.

RIT shot 24-for-54 from the field (44.4 %) while St. Lawrence was 21-for-46 (45.7 %). RIT outrebounded the Saints 30-29.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, as they host Clarkson in a Liberty League matchup that gets underway at 4 p.m.