Potsdam, NY - Senior guard Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) made four first-half 3-pointers for 16 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team held on for a 77-74 victory over Keystone College in the opening round of the Casella Waste Services North Country Invitational Friday evening at Potsdam State's Maxcy Hall.

The Golden Knights improved to 2-0 on the season and will face the winner of Paul Smith's and Potsdam State. Keystone fell to 1-1 on the campaign.

Making all but one of his shots from the field in the first half, Salanger recorded nearly half of Clarkson's points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting, including 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, to guide the Knights run. Though Clarkson led by just four midway through the half, a 10-2 jaunt gave the Knights a more sizeable advantage, one that they would maintain for the remainder of the half, settling at 37-28 when time expired in the first.

Though Keystone would make several runs to cut into Clarkson's lead, the Knights always had an answer at the other end. Salanger, who finished with 18 points, would take only three more shots for the remainder of the game as Keystone adjusted to his hot hand, but that opened up the middle for junior guard Brandon Linton (Queens, NY). Linton drove to the basket for easy lay ups and many free throws, scoring 19 points total, but also found junior forward Keith Murray (Queens, NY) in the corner frequently to account for his seven assists. Murray also tossed in 16 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the floor and a flawless 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Sophomore forward George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) also made his presence felt with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

For Keystone, four players finished in double-figures, led by Tercel Taylor, who scored 18 points in just 25 minutes. Michael Kelly added 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Ryne Luce scored 12, all coming on 3-point field goals. Kenneth Hardnett produced 10 points.