Box Score
TROY, NY -- Freshman Keven Donohue scored a career high 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the floor, including 10 critical points down the stretch, and the Union men's basketball team defeated Rensselaer, 67-53, in a Liberty League contest at the East Campus Arena. The Dutchmen improve to 4-2 in the league and 8-8 overall, while RPI falls to 11-5 and 3-3. The homestanding Engineers were paced by junior Mike Brion (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin), who scored a game-high 21 points.
Union jumped out to a 7-0 lead on hot early shooting from senior Joey Lokitis, who scored the first five points of the game. The Dutchmen built the lead to as many as nine points, 13-4 on a 3-pointer by Lokitis with 16:17 left in the first half. RPI fought back to take the lead 10 minutes later, sparked by Brion. The senior came off the bench to score 10 points in the run, including a long 3-pointer that gave the Engineers a 24-22 lead. Union had a 34-31 lead at the half.
The visitors then scored the first six points of the second half for a 40-31 lead. They eventually got their advantage to 12 points midway through the stanza before RPI made a comeback attempt. Trailing 51-39, the Engineers scored nine straight points - seven from Brion - in 1:21 to cut the deficit to 51-48. It was at that point that Union re-heated. Donohue scored six of the points and Lokitis had the other two for a 59-48 lead with 3:24 left in the second half.
Donohue, who eight points in the first half, also chipped in with three rebounds and a steal, while Lokitis finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and game-highs of six assists and six steals. Junior Drew Goldstein added 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting with four assists.
Brion led all scorers with his career-high effort. He also had seven rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes. Senior Ricky Philatre (Randolph, MA/Randolph) had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds with five steals.
RPI returns to the court on Saturday afternoon at 4 pm against league foe Skidmore. Union travels to Vassar for another Liberty League game that begins at 4 pm.
