Utica, N.Y. - Leading by just two at halftime, the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team would use a strong third quarter to sneak past SUNY Poly 61-55, on Saturday afternoon.

Clarkson improves to 3-2 while the Wildcats drop to 2-3. The Knights return to action on Tuesday, hosting cross-town rivals SUNY Potsdam on Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m.

The Knights jumped out to a 5-0 lead from the jump as Addie Kea would connect on a wing three and Bella Doyle sunk a long mid-range jumper. Following two buckets from SUNY Poly, Fallon Griffin would hit a wing three of her own to push the lead back to four just over five minutes in. After trading buckets over the next two minutes, the Wildcats would get within one but back-to-back baskets from Emma Chambers and Kate Campbell pushed the lead back to 15-10 in favor of the Golden Knights. The hosts would go on to outscore Clarkson 5-4 over the final two minutes, producing a 19-15 scoreline in favor of the Knights after one quarter. 

Chambers opened up the second quarter with a corner three, just four seconds in, which would be followed by a Griffin layup in transition at the 8:08 mark off a feed from Chambers, putting Clarkson up 24-15 and forcing Poly to burn their first timeout. The Wildcats would come out of the timeout with a newfound sense of urgency, tallying a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the deficit down to just two. Griffin would break the scoreless run for Clarkson with a trifecta but two more straight buckets from Sanaa Lee and Kelsey Meca got the Wildcats back to within one with 3:35 remaining in the quarter. With the lead locked at one, Griffin would again connect for a long-range attempt with the feed from Chambers to put the Knights back up four, looking for a bit of breathing room with halftime approaching. Alysa Jackson would hit both free throws after being fouled on a shot attempt with 36 seconds remaining as Clarkson would go into the break up 32-30. Turnovers would be a point of concern after the first half for Clarkson with 11 total contributing to 13 points of turnovers for SUNY Poly.

A 5-0 straight out of halftime saw the Wildcats take a 35-32 lead less than a minute into the second half, the first time of the day that the hosts had led. A three-pointer from Doyle to answer would knot things up until Kayla Wilson would add a layup on the other end to put SUNY Poly back into the lead. Campbell would answer on the next possession, spotting up for a long jumper tying the score at 37 apiece. A scoreless streak of over two minutes would follow the fast start and finally be broken by Griffin with her fourth three of the game at the 5:23 mark to give the Golden Knights a 40-37 advantage. After another scoreless stretch for both teams characterized by turnovers, Jackson would break the drought this time for SUNY Poly with a layup that would put the hosts up one with a little over two and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Following a quick timeout, Lee would extend that lead to three but a quick answer by Kea with her second trey of the contest knotted the score back up at 43. Following a quick steal by Chambers, Kea would connect on another three-pointer after some quick perimeter ball movement from the Knights to push the lead back in favor of Clarkson with less than a minute on the clock. A corner three by Chambers in the final seconds provided a six point cushion headed into the final quarter. 

Two straight layups for the Wildcats following Clarkson turnovers meant the lead fell to just two just 90 seconds into the fourth. Doyle would get the Knights back in the scoring column with a layup off a feed from Chambers but Jackson would answer with a lay-in of her own on the other end to keep the lead at two. That is the closest that Poly would get though as Griffin drilled another three on the next trip down to put Clarkson up 54-49. Following a Golden Knight timeout, the defense would force a turnover after an inbounds pass which would eventually set up Alexis Kress for a three as the lead quickly grew to eight with five minutes remaining. The lead would reach double-digits following a Doyle layup but Jackson would answer with a three at the 2:11 mark to bring it back to 59-52. Kea would hit the second of two free throws with less than a minute to make it 60-52 but Jackson had another answer, this time with a contested straight-on three that made it 60-55. Chambers would be fouled on the inbounds pass and hit the second free throw in her trip to the line to put Clarkson up 61-55, where it would stay following a Poly missed three. 

Both teams would struggle with turnovers as Clarkson would register 25 to SUNY Poly's 14. Overall, Clarkson led for more than 32 minutes of the contest but Poly would hold an advantage in points off turnovers (25-11), points in the paint (30-14) and second chance points (10-2). 

Griffin would finish one point off her career-high with a team-high 21 on 5-8 shooting beyond the arc. Doyle would add 14 and eight boards while Kea chipped in 10 points, five assists and three steals for Clarkson. Chambers finished a solid outing with nine points and five assists, shooting 2-3 from three. Jackson led all scorers with 26 for SUNY Poly, shooting 7-11 from three while Lee was the only other Wildcat in double-figures with 10 points and six rebounds.