Potsdam, NY – Josh Harner (Houston, TX) scored a season-high 24 points, including 20 in the first half, as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team won its third straight game, a 77-68 victory over D’Youville Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights improved to 6-5 with the win, while D’Youville fell to 3-9.
In the first half, the Golden Knights enjoyed several excellent spurts, most of which were spurned by Harner’s hot outside shooting. The senior guard made six of his nine 3-point attempts in the first half, scoring 20 points in the first 20 minutes. D’Youville was able to keep the game close thanks to their backcourt’s shooting. Javon Jones produced 12 points and Sanquin Starks had 10 first-half points. Both made two 3-pointers.
The Spartans closed the gap to 47-43 at the 14:46 mark with a pair of 3-pointers from Starks and another from Kyle Ward. The Golden Knights shot back up by nine, but D’Youville closed the gap once again. However, Clarkson’s depth pushed the lead into double-digits, and only a handful of free throws kept the Spartans within single-digits at the end of the second half.
Harner closed with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes to lead the Golden Knights. Freshman Nick Jones (Washington, DC) scored 13 points and sophomore Russ Vitallo (Dracut, MA) added 11 points. Senior guard Kevin Williams (Syracuse, NY) enjoyed an excellent all-around game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Sanquin Starks led the Spartans with a game-high 25 points and Javon Jones finished with 14 points and a team-high five rebounds for D’Youville. Clarkson shot 13-for-17 from the free-throw line, while the Spartans struggled, shooting 10-for-20.
The Golden Knights open the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) conference schedule this weekend when they visit Skidmore College and Union College on Friday and Saturday.
