Gators Reach 20 Win Mark on Saturday at Houghton
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men’s Basketball held off host Houghton 92-90 to reach the 20-win mark for just the second time in program history this afternoon.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
48 | 44 | 92 |
|
|
43 | 47 | 90 |
Team Stats
Houghton
| Game Statistics | Russell Sage College | Houghton |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-71) | (33-70) |
| Field Goal % | 43.7% | 47.1% |
| Rebounds | 43 | 38 |
| Assists | 22 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 7 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 19 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 46 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 18 | 14 |
HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men's Basketball held off host Houghton 92-90 to reach the 20-win mark for just the second time in program history this afternoon.
The Gators (20-4/12-3 E8), which won 23 games in 2014-2015, had four players score in twin figures of the road Empire 8 Conference triumph.
Junior Khalel Noteman (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) topped the victors, which secured a home game in next week's E8 Conference Championship Tournament, with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting and nine rebounds. The center, among the Conference's field goal shooting and rebounding leaders, averaged 19.0 points on 65.0 percent shooting and 6.5 rebounds in the 2-0 weekend.
Junior guard Pape Tunkara (Mount Vernon, NY/Iona Prep/Genesee CC), who commenced the weekend tied for the Conference lead in steals per-game, added 18 points, four rebounds, three steals and three rebounds.
Senior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) and junior guard Adam Myers (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute/Saint Rose) each scored 13 points in the road win.
Harris, the Conference leader in steals and steals per-game, tallied nine rebounds and nine assists, while Myers registered five assists and did not commit a turnover.
"This weekend was another example of how difficult it is to win on the road in this league," commented Head Coach Brian Barnes. "Every game is going to be a battle. I was proud of how our guys executed down the stretch today and how well we shot free throws both days. Today's win puts us at the 20 win mark which is a nice accomplishment for our program. We want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season and we know that we still have things we can improve on. We'll enjoy the long trip home together and it's back to work this week with a very tough Hartwick team coming in on Tuesday."
Up 48-43 at the half, the Gators extended their lead to 14 with 9:23 remaining in regulation. Trailing by six, 89-83, with 50 seconds remaining after a Noteman putback layup, Houghton (6-18/3-12 E8), quickly made the matinee interesting with the next five points. The final 24 seconds became a foul shooting contest, where the Gators used makes by Myers and Harris to seal the victory.
Freshman guard Tyson Clark led all players with 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting. He was one of three Highlanders in double figures this afternoon.
Junior guard Jake Verschoyle contributed 20 points, while junior forward Lou Bellamy, who began the day ranked second in the Conference in both scoring and rebounding, recorded a double-double of 16 points and 14 boards.
RSC, heading to the E8 Conference Championship Tournament for the second-straight year and fifth time overall, wraps up the regular season on Tuesday at home against Hartwick. Depending on Tuesday's results both in Albany and around the Conference, the Gators will be either the first, second or third seed in the playoffs. Regardless, RSC will be home on Saturday, February 21st for an E8 Quarterfinal.
Gator Bites: The 2025-2026 season marks the 17th for Head Coach Brian Barnes at the helm of Russell Sage College Men's Basketball…He achieved career win number 200 on November 15 at SUNY Cobleskill...RSC got off to its best five-game (5-0), ten-game (9-1), and 15-game (13-2) starts to a season in program history…The first loss was to top-ranked Trinity…The 2014-2015 edition of the Gators started their season at 6-1 and 7-3 on their way to a 23-5 overall record and capturing the Skyline Conference Tournament Championship, and accompanying NCAA Tournament berth...RSC started that historic season, and also began last year, with a 12-3 record...The Gators have clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament…RSC, which will be either the first, second, or third seed, will host a Quarterfinal on Saturday, February 21…RSC finished the weekend as the top offense in the Conference at 86.3 points per-game…The Gators are also the best rebounding squad in the E8, ending the week at 45.3 rebounds per-game…RSC is coming off a trip to the Quarterfinals of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament…Seven players back from last year's squad…Junior guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany), Noteman, and Harris headline the returners…Harris, voted third-team All-Conference, topped the Gators with 12.9 points per-game last season…The senior converted the game-winning layup with two seconds left in the January 6 overtime victory at Utica…He finished the day second in the Conference in steals and steals per-game, third in assists and assists per-game and sat fifth with 17.6 points per-game…Tunkara concluded the matinee atop the E8 with 2.5 steals per-game…Noteman finished the contest fourth in the Conference in field goal percentage and seventh in rebounding...Barnes added seven newcomers to the program…Sophomore guard Kyle Dhu (Ozone Park, NY/Brooklyn Law and Tech) was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 16…He averaged 25.5 points on 60.7 percent shooting in the 2-0 week…The sophomore made 61.5 percent of his three-point attempts and totaled 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists across the pair of victories…Harris was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 26…The guard averaged 26.0 points on 51.3 percent shooting across home wins vs. Nazareth (1/23) and Saint John Fisher (1/24)…He scored 35 points, the second most in a game by an RSC player, in the victory vs. Nazareth…On February 23, 2017 vs. Old Westbury, Rob Mills '17 went for 36 to help the Gators advance to the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament Finals.
