TROY, N.Y. - Devon Burgess ignited a first half run that put the Union College men's basketball team ahead for good and the junior finished with  a game-high 25 points as the Dutchmen defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 78-73 in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Arena. Union remains in first place in the conference standings with a 9-5 league mark. The Dutchmen have now won six straight games and are 12-10 overall. RPI drops to 10-13 overall and 4-10 in the league. Union is tied with Skidmore and St. Lawrence for first place and each team has two games remaining in the regular season.

Burgess made 11 of 16 shots, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists for the visitors. Wade McNamara added 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting and McNoble scored 13 points. William Hython registered a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Dutchmen, who shot 51.7 percent (30 of 58) from the floor, including 8 of 16 from behind the arc.

Following a pair of baskets for five points by RPI senior Tyler Gendron the homestanding Engineers held a 16-12 lead 7:45 into the game. However, Burgess started a Union rally, first with a three-pointer and then finding Kevin McNoble for a trey. That began an 18-3 run and the Dutchmen led by 11 points, 30-19, with 7:12 to play in the first half. Burgess had seven points and two assists in the stretch, while McNoble scored six consecutive points. The Dutchmen went on to a 12-point lead at halftime, 43-31, and stayed in front by at least three possessions for the majority of the second half.

The Engineers did cut the deficit to six points, 73-67, on a three-point basket by freshman Tom Horvat with 59 seconds remaining in the second half, but Union answered with two straight baskets for a 10-point lead, 77-67, with 21 seconds remaining.

Gendron led RPI in scoring with 22 points, along with five rebounds. Horvat finished with 13 points, including a three-pointer with four seconds remaining, six rebounds and three steals. Senior Chase Almond finished with 11 points.

Rensselaer is back on the court on Friday at Bard College, while Union plays again the same day at Hobart College. Both games are league contests that begin at 8pm.