Men's Basketball | 2/18/2012 5:52:00 PM

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ANNONDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY -- The RIT (9-16, 5-11 Liberty League) men's basketball team closed out the 2011-12 season with a thrilling 76-73 overtime win at Bard College on Saturday. Ronnie Canestro (Buffalo, NY/Nichols School)'s old fashioned three point play with :53 to play in OT proves to be the difference for the Tigers who hang on to win their ninth game of the season.

RIT jumped out to a 70-65 lead early in the overtime session. Brendan Harder (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta), who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, scored the first six points of the overtime to give RIT the lead.

Consecutive three pointers by Frank Stortini and Matt Schubert capped off a 6-0 mini run and gave Bard a 71-70 lead.

With RIT trailing by one, Canestro slashed to the bucket laying in a shot as he was fouled. He converted the old fashined three point play to give RIT a 73-71 lead.

A pair of free throws by Gabe Nicasio (Essex Junction, VT/Essex) increased the Tiger's lead to 75-71.

Bard answered back when Schubert was fouled as he drove to the hoop. He made both free throws with :10 to play to cut RIT's lead to 75-73.

With :09 remaining, Canestro made one-of-two free throws to make it a 76-73 RIT advantage giving Bard one last chance to send the game into double overtime.

Schubert's three pointer at the buzzer was off giving the Tigers the three-point win.

After trailing by four at halftime, RIT took it's first lead of the game with 15:04 to play in the second half on a bucket by Justin Heisig (Levittown, NY/Island Trees). The second half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring four ties and 11 lead changes.

With 1:59 to play in regulation, Harder converted an old fashioned three point play of his own to give the Tigers a 62-61 lead.

On Bard's very next possession, Lamar Powell was fouled as he drove the basket. He made one-of-two free throw's tying the game at 62-62.

Nicasio's two free throws with 1:38 to play gave RIT a two point lead at 64-62. But, Schubert answred right back with :47 to play with a pair of free throws tying the game at 64-64 sending the game into overtime.

Nicasio finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Heisig scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds, while Ronnie Canestro (Buffalo, NY/Nichols School) added nine points, including four in the overtime.

RIT shot 47.5 percent from the floor on 28-of-59 shooting. The Tigers were 6-of-18 from behind the arc and were 14-of-20 from the foul line. RIT scored 32 of their 76 points in the paint and scored 10 second chance points. The Tigers also scored 14 points off of nine Bard turnovers.