Potsdam, NY – After suffering through a 2-9 non-league start, the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team has enjoyed a streak of impressive defensive play, and that streak continued on Friday as the Golden Knights defeated Rensselaer 66-61 in Liberty League action to improve to 4-1 in the conference.
Clarkson improved to 6-10 overall and held on to second place in the conference at 4-1. Rensselaer dropped to 6-10 overall, but 1-4 in the Liberty League. The Knights travel to face Hobart and Hamilton next weekend.
Rensselaer had their way with Clarkson in the early going, jumping out to a 11-3 lead in just the first three minutes, thanks to some impressive inside play from Henrik Schou, who came off the bench after just one possession to take over for an injured Ricky Philatre. Schou scored a handful of baskets around the hoop to send the Red Hawks to an early lead. Rensselaer pushed their lead to 23-12 midway through the half, but Clarkson stopped the RPI offense over the course of the next seven minutes with a 12-0 run. With the game close, the two teams battled back and forth and finished the half knotted up at 29.
Even more impressive than Schou was forward Sam Simmons, who scored 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the opening half. The points were scattered evenly among six Golden Knights, but Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) was tremendously valuable for Clarkson, dishing out six assists.
The close play continued in the second half as RPI fell behind early, but recaptured a one-point lead early on. Clarkson rushed out to an eight-point advantage and appeared ready to run away with the contest, but more steady play from Simmons, both on the inside and with his innate passing ability, allowed the Red Hawks to come back and tie the score 51-51. From there, timely free throw shooting and solid offensive rebounding led the Knights to the win.
Sophomore guard Keith Murray (Queens, NY) established a career-high in points for the second straight night, recording 16 points, including four 3-point field goals. He also added in seven rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. Linton added 14 points and 8 assists, while Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) and James Evans (Hamburg, NY) each scored 10.
Simmons finished with a game-high 28 points on 13-for-18 shooting. Schou closed with 13 points for RPI.
In an added note, Clarkson’s Elson Pickering set the school’s single-season block mark on Friday against Vassar, breaking a 19-year-old mark. Though the accomplishment was announced at the game, it was left out of Friday night’s post-game write up.
