Canton, NY – A second-half surge that saw St. Lawrence score 11 points in just over a minute out to be the turning point as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball season came to an end in an 88-64 loss in the semifinal round of the Liberty League Tournament Friday night at Burkman Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights, seeded fourth, finished the season at 15-11 overall, while top-seeded St. Lawrence improved to 20-5. The Saints will face Rensselaer in the tournament finals on Saturday.
Sophomore Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) scored six points and had three offensive rebounds in the early going to keep the Golden Knights close through the first few minutes, but St. Lawrence asserted itself on the inside with its size to push the lead to double digits just a few minutes later. At the 10:38 mark, the Saints led 26-10, as the Knights couldn’t get a cohesive offense together. Once Clarkson returned to its normal style of play and with the St. Lawrence defense collapsing on the post, the Knights were able to score on several 3-pointers, started by Rey Jefferson’s (Budd Lake, NJ) long-range bomb at 9:35. With Clarkson changing up the offensive landscape, the team was able to drop the Saints’ lead back to single digits just a few minutes later. However, another late run by St. Lawrence pushed the lead back to 14. Only a last-second 3-pointer by Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) kept the Knights close, as Clarkson ended the half trailing 45-34.
Hood and Jefferson each had six to lead the Knights, with Hood also contributing five rebounds. Linton added in five points as Clarkson shot 39.5%, going 15-for-38. St. Lawrence’s inside game allowed them to control the paint, as the Saints shot 17-for-26 from inside the arc in the first half. St. Lawrence’ starting frontcourt of Tom Wopperer, Bela Vonnak and Richard Williams combined for 31 points on 14-for-23 shooting.
At the start of the second half, the Knights stayed in the contest by trading points early on, trailing by 11 points, 49-38. However, Clarkson went 5:12 without a point, and St. Lawrence went on an 18-0 run in a four-minute span to put the game out of reach midway through the half.
Clarkson’s two seniors had solid games to close out their collegiate careers. Senior guard Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) scored a team-high 14 points and senior forward Ryan Smith (Niagara Falls, NY) posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Smith was selected to the Liberty League All-Tournament team.
For St. Lawrence, Richard Williams scored 25 points, shooting 11-for-14 from the floor, and grabbed 9 rebounds in 23 minutes. Wopperer finished with 19 points and Vonnak added 14 points.
