SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After two weeks of coming just short of an elusive victory, the Union College men's basketball team played a full 40 minutes and came away with a well-deserved 68-57 victory over Capital Region rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a Liberty League battle on Friday night at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Union (3-15, 2-9 Liberty League) was led by its four fifth-year seniors, who all scored in double figures and combined for 52 points on the night. Brian Noone hit 7-of-10 shots from the field on the way to a team-leading 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds, followed by Mike Manley with 14 points and five boards. Chris Lovisolo had an excellent all-around effort with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocks, while Mike Concannon added 10 points and five caroms as well.
 
Dom Black scored a game-high 19 points for Rensselaer (13-5, 7-4 Liberty League), but needed 23 shots in order to do so. Jonny Angbazo added 15 points and Will Fredericks chipped in 13 for the visitors.
 
The two teams went back and forth over the first 11 minutes of play, with neither side leading by more than one possession. Manley had seven of Union's first 14 points to stay close, but back-to-back layups gave RPI its largest lead of the game at 18-13 with 8:25 left in the half. However, the home team came back with a 9-0 run over the next four minutes, with Lovisolo scoring five points himself and also assisting on a pair of Noone baskets. Four more points from Noone and senior Justin Regis helped the Dutchmen take a 26-24 lead into the break.
 
Determined not to led another second-half lead slip away, Union shot a red-hot 66.7 percent (14 of 21) in the second half and hit 12-of-17 free-throw attempts to seal the victory. The Dutchmen hit their first seven shots from the field as part of a 15-5 run to start the period, with a Concannon bucket ending the run and putting Union up 41-29 with 13:54 on the clock. After the Engineers got back within six, Union came back with seven straight points to quickly regain a 48-35 lead at the midway point.
 
The lead was only eight with 6:44 on the clock before Noone beat the shot clock with a clutch three that ballooned the lead back to 11 at 55-44, and Concannon followed with a nifty layup off a nice Lovisolo dish that helped to keep the Engineers at bay the rest of the way.
 
Union finished the game shooting 55.6 percent (25 of 45) from the field while limiting RPI to just 33.8 percent (22 of 65) shooting. Lovisolo and junior Edward Baptiste combined for seven of the team's eight blocks as well on the night.
 
Union will look to keep up the momentum tomorrow with a 4 p.m. matchup against Skidmore College.