Potsdam, NY – A put back by senior Erik Gudmundsen (Clifton Park, NY) with just 20 seconds left in the second half assured the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team of at least a likely tie, but the Golden Knights were able to hold off a late charge by Skidmore in a 65-60 Liberty League victory Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights ended a five-game losing streak in league play, improving to 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the conference. Skidmore fell to 2-15 overall and 1-6 in league. Clarkson returns to action on Tuesday when the team visits St. Lawrence.
As is the case with many games involving the Golden Knights, scoring was stunted in the opening minutes as Clarkson held the Thoroughbreds scoreless for the first 6:25 of the contest. Skidmore rallied over the coming minutes and cut Clarkson’s advantage to just four, but the Knights pushed the lead back into double figures with a 3-pointer from Keith Murray (Bronx, NY) with 4:11 left in the half. A mini 5-0 run by Skidmore put the Thoroughbreds back to within striking distance at the end of the half, cutting the deficit to eight points at 32-24. Despite a significant advantage in rebounding (26-7), Clarkson was unable to truly take advantage of its second chance opportunities (11 offensive rebounds) while limiting those of the Thoroughbreds.
Jon Douglas scored a game-high 12 points for Skidmore in the first half, shooting a flawless 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) led the charge for Clarkson, scoring all nine of his points from the 3-point line, shooting 3-for-4 from the field.
Skidmore methodically closed the gap in the second half as the Thoroughbreds dropped the Knights scoring advantage to a single point on five different occasions before finally taking the lead themselves with less than seven minutes to go on the clock. However, Clarkson responded almost immediately after Skidmore took the lead when EJ Harrison (Troy, NY) buried a 3-pointer at 6:26 in the second half. Full court pressure for the remainder of the half made it difficult for Skidmore to get set quickly in its offensive half court game and the Knights free throw shooting down the stretch gave them the victory.
Douglas finished with a game-high 17 points to lead Skidmore and Bobby Langford added in 10 points and 5 blocks for the Thoroughbreds. On the Clarkson side, only Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) finished in double figures, scoring 11 points to go along with 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Ten different players scored at least four points for Clarkson.
