Box Score
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Rensselaer's slash and burn approach means that the men's basketball team, if it's shooting the ball well, can kill you, and if it's not, you can kill them.

They press, trap and run for the entire 40 minutes, using a rotation of 15 players, none of whom usually play for more than 18 or 19 minutes a game.

Both edges of the sword were in play on Tuesday night at Bard, but in the end, a 12-0 run over a 99-second span late in the game allowed RPI to survive with an 82-74 victory.

Early on, it was all slash and burn. RPI was creating havoc out there with it's menacing traps, and it was 26-14 in favor of the visitors with 7:55 left in the half.

Then Bard suddenly picked it up offensively as the Engineers went cold. It was a 24-0 run over seven-plus minutes, and it led to a 38-31 lead for Bard as the teams went into the locker room for halftime.

RPI erased the halftime deficit gradually, but Bard pushed back and had a 60-54 lead with 7:48 left in the game. Then slash and burn returned.

Bard went 0-for-2 from the field, turned it over three times and missed the front end of a pair of one-and-one opportunities over the next 99 seconds, while RPI went 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 from the line. The six-point lead was now a six-point deficit, and although Bard cut it to three with 4:38 to go, it didn't get closer.

The Raptors were harried into 25 turnovers, and RPI senior Nick Keefe (Rensselaer, NY) scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. Reggie Colas (Miami, FL) finished with 15 points and Chase Almond (South Kingstown, RI) added 10 points and 11 rebounds. After shooting 26 percent from the field in the first half, RPI shot 46 percent in the second half.

Bard got 22 points from Lamar Powell, 20 from freshman Alex Fabean-Scotch - who went 6-for-7 from beyond the three-point line - and 10 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Brandon Cunningham. Siondueh Burnette led Bard with nine rebounds to go with seven points.

Bard will host a pair of Liberty League games this weekend, beginning with RIT on Friday night at 8. The Raptors will host defending league champ Hobart on Saturday at 4.

Follow both games via Live Stats or Live Video right here.