ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Mushin Muhammad scored a career-high 35 points to lift the RIT men's basketball team past Rochester, 87-83, in a thrilling non-conference matchup Tuesday evening.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• RIT jumped out to a 16-point halftime lead (44-28) behind a 14-4 run midway through the first half, with Muhammad contributing 10 of the 14 points.
• Rochester rallied in the second half with an 8-0 run early, cutting the deficit to single digits at 46-38.
• Junior guard Zac Ditzel hit a clutch three-pointer with 8:51 remaining to push RIT's lead back to 71-62 after the Yellowjackets had closed within six.
• Rochester's Tomiwa Adetosoye scored 18 of his 30 points in the second half, including a fast-break dunk at 19:34 and a layup at 4:39 that trimmed the margin to 80-73.
• With 1:38 left, Muhammad stole the ball and converted a fast-break dunk to give the Tigers an 84-81 lead.
• In the final seconds, Muhammad secured a defensive rebound after a missed three-pointer and sank two free throws to seal the 87-83 win.

 
GAME NOTES

• Muhammad led all scorers with 35 points on 13-of-28 shooting, adding nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
• Ditzel added 17 points and eight rebounds, while first-year guard Xavier Nelson and junior guard Brody Brown chipped in nine points each.
• RIT dominated the glass, outrebounding Rochester 56-32, including 18 offensive boards.
• The Tigers shot 47.8 percent from the field and scored 50 points in the paint.
• Adetosoye finished with 30 points and five rebounds for Rochester before fouling out.
• The last time RIT defeated the Yellowjackets was a 63-58 home win on Dec. 2, 2009.
• RIT improves its record to 4-6 overall.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tigers visit Ithaca on Friday (Jan. 9) at 7:30 p.m.