Potsdam, NY – A tough day from the perimeter was too much for the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team to overcome on Saturday afternoon as Hamilton defeated the Golden Knights 61-44 in a Liberty League contest Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights fell to 11-7 overall and 2-5 and the Continentals improved to 12-5 overall and 6-1 in the Liberty League. Clarkson hosts St. Lawrence at 8:00 pm on Tuesday.

The first half saw Hamilton jump out to a quick 13-2 lead making all of their open looks, while Clarkson languished on offense for its first few possessions. However, the Knights picked up their offense in the final half of the first period, ending the final 11 minutes by doubling up the Continentals, 18-9.

Clarkon’s Ryan Smith (Niagara Falls, NY) played well as Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) got in early foul trouble, grabbing six rebounds to go along with five points in 11 minutes off the bench. Senior Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) also added six points. Hamilton’s Harlee Wood had a quick burst to start the game and scored a team-high 11 points in 14 minutes. No other Continental player scored more than four points.

The Continentals started to pull away slightly to start the second half as the Knights offense was stagnant with just one field goal and a pair of free throws made in the first seven minutes. After a brief streak of scoring, the theme continued for the Knights as they put up just 19 points in the second half. One issue holding back the Knights’ offense was a lack of control as Clarkson was whistled for numerous charges, while another was Clarkson shooting just 1-for-19 from the 3-point line.

No Golden Knights finished in double figures, though Smith had 10 rebounds. Pickering and George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) each contributed eight points to lead the Knights. Wood produced 19 points for Hamilton, including his 1000th career point. He also had 10 rebounds.