RSC Uses Big First Half to Improve to 4-0
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men’s Basketball used a big first half to defeat visiting Vermont State University: Castleton 75-64 on Wednesday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
16 | 48 | 64 |
|
|
39 | 36 | 75 |
Team Stats
VTSU Castleton
| Game Statistics | VTSU Castleton | Russell Sage College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-61) | (23-64) |
| Field Goal % | 36.1% | 35.9% |
| Rebounds | 55 | 39 |
| Assists | 7 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 26 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 26 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 28 |
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Men's Basketball used a big first half to defeat visiting Vermont State University: Castleton 75-64 on Wednesday night.
The Gators, 4-0 for the second time in three years, closed the opening period on a 34-8 run to help secure the home victory.
Junior guard Pape Tunkara (Mount Vernon, NY/Iona Prep/Genesee CC) led all participants with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He went 3-of-4 from three-point range and tallied six steals and four assists.
Senior guard Brandon Harris (Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton/Herkimer CC) added 13 points, five steals, and four rebounds.
Sophomore guard Kyle Dhu (Ozone Park, NY/Brooklyn Law and Tech), announced as the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week on Monday, contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Deavion Springsteen (Albany, NY/Albany) netted 10 points.
RSC forced the visitors into a 6-of-31 performance (19.4 percent) from the field, including 1-of-15 from three-point range in the first half. The Gators turned the Spartans (1-4) over 15 times across the opening 20 minutes.
The 39-16 Gator halftime advantage proved vital as Castleton shot 48.4 percent after the break to significantly trim its deficit. The Spartans trailed by 10, 67-57, 2:17 left, before the Gators regained control with four of the next five points.
Senior forward Will Radcliff provided Castleton a double-double of 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 13 rebounds.
RSC (4-0) is back on the court for its annual Tuesday before Thanksgiving game against Mount Saint Mary College. The non-conference action down in Newburgh is slated to tip at 5:00 PM.
Gator Bites: The 2025-2026 season marks the 17th for Head Coach Brian Barnes at the helm of RSC…The Gators are coming off a trip to the Quarterfinals of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament…Seven players back from last year's squad…Harris, Springsteen, and junior center Khalel Noteman (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) headline the returners…Harris, voted third-team All-Conference, topped the Gators with 12.9 points per-game last season…Barnes, who achieved his 200th career win on November 15 at SUNY Cobleskill, added seven newcomers to the program…Dhu was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, November 16…He averaged 25.5 points on 60.7 percent shooting in the 2-0 week…The sophomore made 61.5 percent of his three-point attempts and totaled 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists across the pair of victories.
