Saratoga Springs, NY – Junior Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) came through with his second double-double of the week as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team tossed through 51 points in the second half for an impressive 74-68 come-from-behind victory against Skidmore College in Liberty League action Friday night.

The Golden Knights improved to 9-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play while Skidmore was sent to its first league loss of the season, dropping to 10-5 and 3-1. The Knights will visit Union College tomorrow afternoon.

The Knights struggled at the start, going without a field goal for the first four-plus minutes, and found themselves down 18-5 just seven minutes into the game. After a pair of free throws from Jon Hood, the Knights pulled to within seven at the 6:04 mark, but Skidmore pushed its lead to 14 points at halftime. Clarkson had several positives that pointed towards a comeback, however, as the Knights held a 26-18 edge in rebounds, including 15 offensive boards. Clarkson did shoot just 24.3 percent (9-for-37) with 10 turnovers, compared to 48.2 percent (12-for-25) and three turnovers for Skidmore.

The second half was a different story compared to the first, as the Knights ended their shooting slump and began making numerous outside shots to eliminate Skidmore’s double-digit advantage quickly. The Knights took their first lead of the ballgame when Rey Jefferson (Budd Lake, NJ) sunk a 3-pointer with 12 minutes to go. The two teams grappled back and forth in hopes of gaining a more significant advantage than a single possession, and it was Clarkson that finally used an 8-0 run over the course of two and a half minutes late in the ball game to take a significant lead. Although the Thoroughbreds cut Clarkson’s lead to seven points on four different occasions after the Knights’ run, Skidmore’s second-half foul trouble sent the Knights to the free throw line down the stretch. It wasn’t until very late in the contest that Skidmore was able to climb to within six points, but with just a few seconds remaining, Clarkson continued to close out the game from the line.

Hood finished with another double-double, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Keith Murray (Queens, NY) led the team with 13 points, while Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) enjoyed a solid all-around game with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Terron Victoria led Skidmore with 16 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field, to go along with 5 steals. Jeff Altimar added in 12 points.