ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Five Garnet Chargers scored in double figures as the Union College men's basketball team used a well-rounded effort to hold off Rochester Institute of Technology by a 74-63 score in a Liberty League matchup on Saturday afternoon at Clark Gymnasium.
 
Junior Jack Plesser led the charge for Union (8-2, 3-0 Liberty League), scoring a team-best 18 points and grabbing six rebounds as the Garnet Chargers posted their best 10-game start to a season since starting 11-1 in 2012-13. Junior Matthew Garside and senior Christian Dufort followed with 13 points and 12 points, respectively, while sophomores Harrison Collins and Scott Schmitt both chipped in 10 points apiece. Schmitt also added a game-high nine rebounds as well for the visitors, just missing his first collegiate double-double for the second straight game.
 
RIT (3-6, 1-2 Liberty League) was led by the duo of Muhsin Muhammad and Josiah Turner, who combined for 39 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Junior Tanner Tedesco sunk a jumper on the first possession of the game and Union never trailed on the afternoon, jumping out to an 18-7 lead over the game's first seven minutes. Dufort had eight points and Tedesco added five during the early spurt, which saw the visitors hit 7-of-12 shots from the field while forcing four RIT turnovers. The Tigers slowly chipped away at the deficit and got back within a possession at 29-26 with 5:32 on the clock, but the Garnet Chargers outscored the Tigers 9-4 the rest of the way to take a 38-30 lead at the break.
 
Plesser had seven of the team's final nine points of the opening half and led all players with 14 points at the break, as the visitors shot 15-of-32 (46.8 percent) from the field over the first 20 minutes.
 
RIT hung around for the first eight minutes of the second half, getting within three points after a Muhammad jumper made the score 47-44 with 11:58 left, but Union responded with a 15-4 lead to finally create some separation. Schmitt had a team-leading six points during the run, which saw Union build up its largest lead of the game after a Garside three made the score 62-48 with 6:36 on the clock. The home team got no closer than nine the rest of the way, as Union hit 4-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 free-throw attempts down the stretch.
 
Garside scored 11 points to lead the team in the second half, which saw Union shoot 41.1 percent (14 of 34) from the field.
 
Union finished the afternoon shooting 43.9 percent (29 of 66) from the field and made the Tigers pay for their mistakes, turning 14 turnovers into 16 points.
 
Union will continue conference play next weekend with two more road games, beginning on Friday night with a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.