KEUKA PARK, NY – The RIT men's basketball team improved to 5-0 for the second straight season with a 69-47 win over Keuka College (2-3) on Tuesday evening.
JP Reagan (Cortland, NY/Cortland) led RIT with 15 points, while
Joe Stortini (Red Hook, NY/Loomis Chaffee) chipped in a career-high 14 points.
RIT shot 42.9 percent from the floor on 24-of-56 shooting. The Tigers made 9-of-26 from behind the arc, and went 12-of-20 from the foul line. Reagan led RIT with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Stortini was 4-of-10 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Kamron Davis (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) tallied six points and had seven rebounds, while reigning Liberty League Rookie of the Week,
AJ Horde (Oak Park, MI/University of Detroit Jesuit) dished out eight assists.
The Tigers never trailed, leading by 16 points at halftime. Stortini sparked a late first-half run, draining two straight 3-pointers, stretching a five point lead to 11 with his three off a feed from Horde with 6:22 to play in the half. RIT outscored the Wolfpack 17-6 over the final 7:36 of the first half, leading 32-16 at the break. Stortini led RIT with 12 first-half points. He went 4-of-6 from the foul line and drained two threes.
RIT pushed the lead to 20 points in the second half. Freshman
Alex Wightman (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) gave the Tigers a 46-26 lead with 13 minutes to play on his layup. Keuka got to within 13 points when Adam Sparks converted one free throw, cutting the Tigers lead to 46-33. A quick 10-2 burst by the Tigers pushed the lead to 21 points with 8:45 to play. RIT led by as many as 23 points in the second half, cruising home for the win.
RIT's defense held the Wolfpack to 34.8 percent shooting, scoring 21 points off of 24 Keuka turnovers. The Tigers held a 37-31 rebounding edge, tallying 10 points off of 11 offensive rebounds and 28 points in the paint.
RIT returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3 when play begins at the 48th Annual Wendy's College Classic, the nation's longest running in-season Division III Tournament. The Tigers first round opponent will be announced at the banquet on Sunday, Nov. 30.
