Cross leads Men's Basketball and Coach Shell to first victory with 71-67 win over RPI in Tri State Tournament
North Adams, MA- MCLA junior Keiland Cross scored a season high 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in leading the Trailblazers past RPI 71-67 in the opening game of the Tri State Shootout in the Amsler Campus Center. The victory for the Trailblazers (1-6) is the first for head coach Derek Shell in 2016.
MCLA will advance to tomorrow's championship round and will face the winner of Fisher/Southern Vermont at 4pm. RPI will face the loser at 2pm in the consolation game.
MCLA led 34-29 at the break and quickly opened up a 44-34 edge with 14:24 left after a Joe Murray layup. RPI would immediately respond with a 15-0 spurt to grab their first lead of the night at 49-44 with still 9:24 left to play.
The Trailblazers would stay close the rest of the way and when Tyler McKay knocked down a triple with 6:21 left it was 55-54 in favor of RPI. A few minutes later, Murray would convert a three point play to tie the game at 59-59.
The three point play started a 10-0 run for MCLA and they led 66-59 with just 2:31 remaining. RPI would get within two points after an Andreas Kontopidis layup with 17 seconds left, however Murray and Cross would both knock down a pair of FT's securing the victory for MCLA and Shell.
Cross went 11-24 from the floor for his 27 points. McKay also netted a career high with 16 points including a 4-4 showing from beyond the arc. Joe Wiggins would end with 12 points and 6 boards, while Murray ended with 9 points and 10 caroms. The Trailblazers shot 45% in the win.
RPI was paced by Kontopidis' team high 16 point effort. Brian Hatcher ended with 15 points and 7 rebounds while Asa Barnhill had 12 points. The Engineers shot 45% from the floor and committed 14 turnovers in the loss.