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Men's Basketball January 5, 2016

CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Bard/Vassar (1/8-9)

This past weekend the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team kept its winning streak against Rensselaer alive, and now the Golden Knights will be tasked with keeping two more going when they face Bard College on Friday night and Vassar College on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights (4-7 overall, 1-1 Liberty League) will be playing their first games at Alumni Gymnasium this season after previously hosting its "home" contests across town at SUNY Potsdam's Maxcy Hall while the home court's rims and backboards were getting a make over.

Clarkson went 1-1 in the opening Liberty League weekend, falling to Union but recovering for a win over Rensselaer on Sunday. Junior forward Derek Hart continued his strong play as of late and is now averaging 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, both of which rank 10th in the Liberty League. He also is second in the conference in shooting at 57.4%, but that figure has been on the rise in the last five games as Hart has shot 66.7% (34-for-51) with 16.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in that span. Felix Abongo has continued his steady all-arond game, ranking 15th in the league in scoring (13.0 ppg), eighth in rebounding (6.4 rpg), seventh in assists (2.9 apg) and fifth in steals (1.6 spg). Junior Conrad Zampier is averaging 9.9 points per contest and has reached double figures in five of the last six games, while Drew Zlogar has been on a hot streak as well, averaging 8.8 points per game. More impressively, after a slow start from beyond the 3-point arc in the first five games (5-for-27), Zlogar is shooting 57.9% from the 3-point line (11-for-19) over the last five games. 

Clarkson has never lost to Bard since the Raptors joined the Liberty League in the 2011-12 season, winning all eight contests. However, the Raptors are entering the weekend in an unfamiliar spot, sitting atop the Liberty League standings after a 2-0 weekend (5-6 overall) with wins against Skidmore and Union. Bard's young team is led by a pair of sophomores, as Emmanuel Rainey, the reigning Liberty League Performer of the Week, ranks ninth in the conference in scoring at 14.5 points per game and classmate DeVahnte Mosley is 17th in scoring with 12.6 points per game. Rainey is shooting 38.6% from beyond the 3-point arc, while Mosley is contributing 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 49.0% overall. If there is a weak spot for the Raptors, it is their free throw shooting, as the team is making only 59.4% of its foul shots. Bard is also fighting a 6.4 deficit in rebounds per game.

The Golden Knights are also riding a three-game winning streak against Vassar and have won 10 of the last 13 meetings. The Brewers will be playing their first conference games of the season this weekend and enter the new year with a record of 4-5 overall. Sophomore guard Jesse Browne leads the team with 15.6 points per game, good enough for fifth in the conference, and is shooting 49.0% from the floor (fourth in the league). Vassar has been bolstered by the continued strong shooting of Erikson Wasyl, who is making 41.1% of his 3-point attempts and ranks sixth in the league in scoring at 15.3 ppg. Freshman center Paul Grinde will be battling Clarkson's Derek Hart for surpremacy on the block this weekend as the 6-10 first-year collegian is averaging 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5% from the field. 

 
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Players Mentioned

Felix Abongo

#14 Felix Abongo

G
6' 4"
Senior
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

F
6' 7"
Junior
Conrad Zampier

#23 Conrad Zampier

G
6' 1"
Junior
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

F
6' 6"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Felix Abongo

#14 Felix Abongo

6' 4"
Senior
G
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

6' 7"
Junior
F
Conrad Zampier

#23 Conrad Zampier

6' 1"
Junior
G
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

6' 6"
Junior
F