Potsdam, NY – With a career-high 28 points, junior forward Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) pushed the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team to a 2-0 start in conference play with a 64-56 win over Skidmore College Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights moved to 4-9 overall, saving their best play for the opening weekend in conference against Union and Skidmore. The Thoroughbreds fell to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in league play. Clarkson battles fellow unbeaten St. Lawrence on Tuesday in Canton.
After a 7-0 run to start by Skidmore, a startling change from yesterday’s defensive effort by the Knights, Clarkson came back with an impressive run of its own, accomplished almost single-handedly Elson Pickering. Clarkson rushed back to a 20-14 lead, with Pickering scoring 15 of the 20 points for the Knights. He finished with 18 points in the half as the Knights ended the first session with a 32-26 lead, capped off by a lay up in the waning seconds by Brandon Linton (Queens, NY).
Pickering shot 8-for-12 from the field in the opening half, and only Keith Murray (Queens, NY) had five points or better for Clarkson. Jeff Altimar finished with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting for Skidmore, making a pair of 3-point field goals. Jake Shechtman also contributed seven points for the Thoroughbreds.
Skidmore removed the Clarkson lead with a nice run early in the second half, capped by a 3-pointer from freshman Jeff Altimar, but that 41-40 margin was the last time that the Thoroughbreds would be ahead or evened with the Knights as a 7-2 run from the Clarkson bench players returned the advantage. Clarkson’s lead pushed out to double figures, but Skidmore’s plucky play halved that lead in the late going. A trio of free throws in the final minute gave Clarkson its final margin of eight points.
Along with his game-high 28, Pickering added in nine rebounds and four blocks in a dominating performance. With Jonah Haviland-Markowitz out in the first half with foul trouble, Pickering had his way in the post and kept the defense honest with some long-range shots as well. Clarkson’s Keith Murray also finished with 10 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field.
Altimar finished with 16 points, making three 3-pointers, for Skidmore. Jon Douglas and Jake Shechtman added in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
