Despite a 20-point night from Adam Dudzinski, the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought Liberty League contest to Rensselaer, 56-48, on Friday night at Burkman Gymnasium.

The Saints now sit 12-12 on the season, but 10-7 in league play and remain fourth in the conference standings. The Saints can clinch fourth with a win in their regular-season finale against Union on Saturday.

A loss would force the Saints into scoreboard watching, as a victory by Skidmore in their final game would allow them to leapfrog St. Lawrence in the standings in the event of a Saints loss. A matinee win on Saturday would allow the Scarlet and Brown to bypass any tiebreaker scenarios and lock in a home game at Burkman Gymnasium for the opening round of the postseason on Tuesday.

"If you play a top-tier team and have an open shot, you need to make them," said Saints head coach Chris Downs following a 1-22 night from beyond the arc for St. Lawrence. "We consistently stuck with one of the best teams in the region and competed all night, but unfortunately we couldn't finish. However, we still have everything we wanted ahead of us. Our destiny is in our hands, and it starts with Union on senior day tomorrow. I'm confident we will play hard."

The Engineers jumped out to an early lead, fueled by two quick three-pointers from Billy Feeks to take an 8-5 advantage. RPI extended that lead to 23-11 midway through the first half following a Ryan Jackson triple. St. Lawrence responded with a late first-half surge, as Tommy McMahon and Aidan Phelan hit key jumpers to cut the deficit to 31-22 at the break.

RPI maintained control early in the second half, stretching the lead back to 13 at 37-24. However, the Saints refused to go away quietly. A layup by Phelan followed by a Dudzinski bucket sparked a run that brought St. Lawrence within two points at 48-46 with 5:21 remaining.



The Saints' comeback effort ultimately fell short as RPI's PJ Scalisi and Kellen Driscoll combined for late free throws to seal the victory.

Dudzinski led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 7-14 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. He also added four rebounds, two steals, and a block while playing all 40 minutes. Colton Suriano joined Dudzinski in double figures for the Saints with 10 points and five rebounds, while also recording two blocks. McMahon finished with eight points and five boards. Dan Anderson contributed on both ends with three assists and a team-high four steals.

The Saints will look to bounce back on Saturday against Union at Burkman Gymnasiun, with tip off scheduled for 4 p.m.