Potsdam, NY – Five players scored at least 13 points, led by sophomore George Koduah’s (Accra, Ghana) third double-double of the season, as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team completed a weekend sweep with a 79-61 win over Union College Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights improved to 13-8 overall and 4-6 in the Liberty league, while the Dutchmen fell to 11-9 and 4-6. Clarkson finishes its regular-season road schedule next weekend at Hamilton and Hobart.
The first half began with a Clarkson 7-0 run in the first three minutes as the Knights produced a solid inside-outside offense between their big men and perimeter shooter Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY). With nearly a double-digit lead midway through the half, the Dutchmen slowly crawled back into the contest, and pulled to within three on a four-point play by Steve Madej at 7:26 when the senior guard was fouled on a made three-pointer. From that point, however, Clarkson went on a 10-0 run to push the lead to 13 points with just over four minutes to go. A three-point barrage from Union cut the advantage to seven by halftime, though, as the Knights went into the locker room up 37-30.
Salanger led the Knights with 11 points, making three 3-point field goals from all over the court. Junior Keith Murray (Queens, NY) also had a solid half with 10 points and four rebounds, while sophomore George Koduah added 10 points and five boards.
Union was impressive from the outside in the first 20 minutes, shooting 7-for-8 from beyond the arc, including three from Joey Lokitis, who led the Dutchmen with 11 points in the first half. Oddly, the Dutchmen shot just 4-for-23 (17.4%) from inside the arc.
In the second half, the Dutchmen continued to make some outside shots and pulled to within a point at 12:39, 44-43. Clarkson then went on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to return to a double-figure lead, and from that point on spread the offense around to several different players. With less than three minutes to play, Clarkson put the game away with five points in the span of about 20 seconds after a dunk from Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) and a 3-pointer from Keith Murray, giving the team a 73-58 edge.
Koduah finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights, team-highs in both categories. Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) contributed a solid all-around game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and a steal. Salanger, Hood and Murray all had 13 points for Clarkson, with Murray also producing nine rebounds. Hood’s 13 points were a career-high.
For Union, Joey Lokitis had a game-high 21 points, making five 3-point field goals. Drew Desmarais added in 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
