Schenectady, NY – Making 22 of 28 free throws throughout the contest, Union College was able to outlast the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team 71-62 in the Liberty League conference opener Friday night.

The Golden Knights fell to 9-3 overall and 0-1 in the Liberty League, while Union jumped to 9-3 and 2-0 in conference games. Clarkson looks to pick up a win in conference play tomorrow afternoon against Skidmore College.

In the opening minutes of the first half, Union led by just a handful of points as the two teams jockeyed back and forth. Midway through the period, the Golden Knights went on a 13-4 run in a three-minute span, taking a 26-19 lead with nine minutes to go. The Knights looked ready to run away with the half, up 32-24 with just over five minutes to go, but Union responded with a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to reclaim the lead. A Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Knights a 36-33 edge going into the locker room.

Senior Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) led all scorers with 14 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, including four 3-pointers. Junior Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) contributed seven assists. For Union, Drew Desmarais had 12 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field, and Steve Madej added eight points, going a flawless 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

In the second half, Clarkson rolled out to a six-point lead, but Union climbed back into the contest and took the lead, 50-49, with 8:02 remaining in the game. After trading baskets, the Dutchmen went on a 10-0 run and held a double-digit lead with less than three minutes to go and held on for the victory by limiting the Knights’ chances down the stretch.

Salanger finished with 14 points for Clarkson, while Linton added in 12 points to go along with his seven assists. Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) and Llanos each added nine points for the Knights. Leading the Dutchmen, Desmarais finished with a game-high 18 points and Madej added 16 points. Drew Goldstein contributed 14 points and Joey Lokitis added 11 points.

Clarkson shot 23-for-61 from the field, while Union made the same amount of shots in 13 fewer opportunities. The Dutchmen went 22-for-28 from the free throw line while Clarkson struggled, going 9-for-16.