Potsdam, NY – Freshman forward Nick Jones (Washington, DC) scored 13 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team remained unbeaten in Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) conference play, defeating Vassar College 61-54 Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights improved to 10-5 overall and 4-0 in the UCAA, extending their winning streak to seven games, matching their longest winning streak since the 1947-48 season. Vassar fell to 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the UCAA.
In the first half, Clarkson raced out to a 20-8 advantage and held a lead of at least seven points for the remainder of the half, which saw the Golden Knights end the first 20 minutes with an eight-point, 27-19 lead. Russ Vitallo (Dracut, MA) was perfect in the opening half, shooting 2-for-2 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the free throw line for a team-high seven points. Jones added 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jud Winton scored seven points and made three steals to lead the Brewers.
The Brewers closed the gap to 33-31 before Clarkson was able to push their lead back to double digits on a handful of possessions. Vassar closed the game to six on two occasions, but finished trailing by a final tally of seven.
Senior guard Josh Harner (Houston, TX) scored 11 points, all coming in the second half, and Vitallo finished with 10 points and three blocks. The Golden Knights shot 18-for-21 from the free throw line while Vassar shot just 7-for-12 from the line.
Winton scored a game-high 18 points and made five steals for the Brewers, while Matt Williams scored 12 points and Will Kieffer added 11 points.
The Golden Knights visit UCAA rival St. Lawrence University at 7:00 pm Tuesday in Canton.
