Potsdam, N.Y. - Four Knights finished in double-figures for scoring as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team fell just short in a 77-83 loss to Union College, Friday Evening at Alumni Gymnasium.
Clarkson drops to 11-13 overall, 6-11 in the Liberty League and will return to action tomorrow, February 21st, hosting RPI at 4 p.m. for senior day. Union improves to 19-5 overall and 14-3 in the league.
Both teams would open up the contest trading baskets with the lead never getting above two for either side until the 13:12 mark when Tanner Tedesco knocked down a three to make it 14-10 Union in the early going. Lorenzo Rapp would counter with a three of his own to make it a one-point game but a 13-0 run from the Garnet Chargers over the next five minutes would see them take a deserved 27-13 advantage.
Nate Abernethy managed to stem a six minute scoring drought for the Knights with a wing triple and would cut the lead to single-digits on the next possession with a finish at the rim. Union would then respond with nine of the next ten points of the game to go up 17 with 3:20 left in the first. Lorenzo Rappa cashed in a turnaround jumper in the lane to make it a 14 point deficit before Abernethy closed out the half with a layup off a feed from Rappa to send Clarkson into the halftime break down 43-30.
The Knights wasted no time getting back to within striking distance in the second half as Braeden Burns and Aydin Kocak both contributed scoring marks to make it just a seven-point game less than four minutes in. That lead would then be completely erased in the next two minutes as Burns, Kocak and Lorenzo Rappa all combined to draw Clarkson back level at 53, with 14:09 on the clock. Tedesco managed to reestablish the Garnet Charger lead with another three on the next trip down the floor as the hosts would lead for the remainder of the contest.
Clarkson continued to keep things close as the ten minute mark passed, never letting the lead grow to more than five following a three from Harrison Collins. Burns and Rappa again combined to make it a one-point lead with 4:31 left but just enough at just the right times was a major factor for the Garnet Charger offense through the final minutes of the night.
Abernethy brought Clarkson back to within three with 1:41 left but a 9-2 run over the next ninety seconds from the visitors, capped off by going 6-6 from the charity stripe, meant the deficit would grow to double-digits again. Matt Toscano would connect on two last-ditch long-range threes as time ran down for the 83-77 final.
Clarkson would lead in points off turnovers (12-9) and points in the paint (44-26), shooting 56% from the field in the second half. The Garnet Chargers received a 19-point influx from their bench while finishing with marks of 39% and 38% from the field and three.
Abernethy led the Golden Knights with 19 points while Steve DeRegis and Lorenzo Rappa both finished with 18. Burns tallied 10 points and seven boards through 37 minutes. Tedesco would lead all scorers with 23 points while Jack Plesser would post a 17 point, 14 rebound double-double performance. Matthew Garside added 11 points and Christian Dufort tallied nine while grabbing 10 boards in the win.
