SWARTHMORE, PA – The RIT (1-0) men's basketball team outscored Swarthmore 35-21 in the second half en route to a 75-65 win in the opening game of the 23rd Annual Equinox Classic Saturday evening. Junior
JP Reagan (Cortland, NY/Cortland) led RIT with 14 points, while
AJ Horde (Oak Park, MI/University of Detroit Jesuit) and
Miguel Lopez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/St. Francis) each scored 12 points.
The Tigers shot 47.2 percent from the floor, including 48 percent in the second half. RIT made 7-of-24 from behind the arc, and were 18-of-28 from the foul line. Reagan was one of four Tigers in double figures with 14 points. Horde and Lopez each scored 12, while
Joe Stortini (Red Hook, NY/Loomis Chaffee) finished with 11. Horde also had six assists, eight steals and no turnovers.
RIT stayed close in the first half, taking two brief leads on buckets by
Sheldon Clay (Detroit, MI/University of Detroit Jesuit) and
Mitch Herman (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), trailing 44-40 at the break. The Tigers shot 46.2 percent from the floor in the first half on 12-of-26 shooting.
Casey Bobelis (Brandenton, FL/Braden River) led RIT with seven points, while Stortini and Lopez each scored six.
RIT opened the second half on a roll, going on a 22-6 run. A jumper by Bobelis with 11:30 to play gave RIT a 62-50 lead, its largest advantage of the game to that point.
Sam Lebryck's 3-pointer with 8:34 to play pulled Swarthmore to within nine points at 64-55. The Garnet shot 38.9 percent from the floor in the second half after hitting on 50 percent of its shots in the first half.
With the Tigers lead trimmed to 65-56, Lopez stepped up and scored three straight buckets giving RIT a 71-56 lead, its largest of the game. After scoring two straight, Lopez stole the ball from Matt Brennan, broke in alone and laid the ball in. That broke the Garnet's momentum.
Swarthmore held a 35-28 rebounding edge, but committed 26 turnovers that led to 27 RIT points. The Tigers scored 34 of their 75 points off the bench led by Lopez' 12, and Bobelis who finished with nine.
RIT returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 16 to face Haverford College at 3 p.m. in Haverford, Pa.
