Poughkeepsie, NY - Shooting 10-for-15 from the floor over the final 11 minutes, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team climbed out of a seven-point deficit to pick up a key victory over Vassar College, beating the Brewers 75-60 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Knights moved to 11-9 overall and 5-5 in conference games, sitting in sixth place among eight teams in the Liberty League. With a logjam of teams in the playoff race, the Knights can't afford too many slip ups down the stretch when they play at Hobart and Hamilton and close the season at home against Union and Skidmore.
Despite a difficult first half in which the Knights shot just 6-for-28 from the field (21.4%) and 2-for-12 from beyond the 3-point line (16.7%), Clarkson found itself just eight points off the pace, 37-29. Vassar had played well in the first half, going 7-for-11 from outside and 14-for-28 from the field. However, Clarkson's edge at the free throw line, where the Knights shot 15-for-18, kept the gap to a minimum.
It wasn't until midway through the second half that the Knights finally found their shooting stroke, going 10-for-15 from the field in the final 11:08, while the Brewers struggled at 3-for-11 with three turnovers. The quick turnaround allowed Clarkson to go from a seven-point deficit to a 15-point victory in a span of less than 13 minutes.
Senior Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) led the way with 18 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the floor and 10-for-11 from the free throw line in just 26 minutes. Rey Jefferson (Budd Lake, NJ) chipped in 15 points while Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) provided an all-around effort with 16 points, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) also contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Vassar's Caleb McGraw scored 16 points while John Donnelly added 9 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
With his five assists on Saturday, Linton passed Mike McCarthy '78 for third all-time at Clarkson in assists. Linton now has 376 assists in his career.
