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Clarkson University Athletics

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Men's Basketball January 26, 2017

CU Men's Basketball Preview - vs. Union/Rensselaer (1/27-28)

Halfway through the conference schedule it appears that five teams will be fighting for the last two spots in the Liberty League Tournament, and two of those squads will be facing the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team this weekend as the Golden Knights, Union College and Rensselaer will continue to jockey for position in the conference standings.

The Golden Knights are 9-8 overall and 4-4 in the Liberty League having won three of their last four conference games. Union enters the weekend at 8-7 overall and 4-3 in conference games, while Rensselaer is 10-8 overall and 4-5 in the league. In the first go round against the two teams from the Capital District, Clarkson enjoyed double-digit second-half leads only to see them slip away. The Knights survived against the Dutchmen and won in overtime, while Rensselaer threw a lopsided second-half score into the win column three weeks ago.

It's still a rather murky picture for the Knights, but senior forward Derek Hart has done his best to make things clearer for Clarkson. Hart leads the league in scoring (21.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (62.2%), with his in-conference numbers being all the more impressive (24.3 ppg, 64.6% field goal percentage).  Hart's "worst" scoring game of the year came against Union when he produced a double-double on 14 points and 10 rebounds, but he was buoyed by four other starters in double figures in Schenectady. Michael Hayduk (15 points), Matthew Hornak (14 points) and Drew Zlogar (13 points) all helped out against the Dutchmen, but it was Liam Ellis who had the biggest impact, recording 13 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists at Union. The contributions for the Knights against Rensselaer, unfortunately, were dissimilar. Hart had another double-double on 23 points and 13 boards and Hayduk had 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the perimeter, but the rest of the team combined to go just 6-for-27 from the field.

Following a slow start in conference play, Union has rattled off three straight wins since its overtime loss to the Golden Knights on January 7th. Seniors Deshon Burgess and Wade McNamara have put up some big numbers through 15 games. Burgess ranks in the top four in the conference in both scoring (18.7 ppg, fourth) and rebounding (7.9 rpg, third) and produced a double-double in the first game of the year between the two teams (20 points, 11 rebounds). McNamara is the top rebounder in the conference with 9.6 caroms per game and he also is in the top 10 in scoring with 15.2 points per contest. Both Kevin Weckworth and Greg King provide scoring help, too, averaging 10.8 ppg each.

Rensselaer finds itself a game under .500 in league play and needs a strong weekend to assure its place among the playoff contenders. Sophomore Tom Horvat averages 14.2 points per game through 18 contests, but his career average is 21.0 points per contest in three games versus Clarkson. Andreas Kontopidis is the team's top scorer with 16.2 points per game, which he couples with 4.9 rebounds per contest. Jonathan Luster makes a third player for the Engineers in double figures as he averages 13.1 points per game on 52.8% shooting. Brian Hatcher is the team's top frontcourt player with 6.3 rebounds per game to go along with 9.6 points per game. The foursome combines for 69.2% of the team's points, and that includes Horvat missing four games early in the season.
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Players Mentioned

Liam Ellis

#3 Liam Ellis

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

F
6' 7"
Senior
Michael Hayduk

#32 Michael Hayduk

F
6' 4"
Senior
Matthew Hornak

#20 Matthew Hornak

F
6' 3"
Sophomore
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

F
6' 6"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Liam Ellis

#3 Liam Ellis

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Derek Hart

#42 Derek Hart

6' 7"
Senior
F
Michael Hayduk

#32 Michael Hayduk

6' 4"
Senior
F
Matthew Hornak

#20 Matthew Hornak

6' 3"
Sophomore
F
Drew Zlogar

#21 Drew Zlogar

6' 6"
Senior
F