Potsdam, NY - Senior John Coleman was on all afternoon, but it took a pair of free throws in the final seconds for him to clinch the Clarkson University Men's Basketball program's all-time scoring mark to give the Knights key points in the final seconds to hold off Bard College 62-56 on Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights improved to 17-4 overall and 10-2 in the Liberty League, needing just one more win or a loss by either RIT or St. Lawrence in the final few games of the season to clinch a playoff spot. Bardfell to 9-12 overall and 4-8 in conference games.

Bard started the game on a 9-2 run in the first two and a half minutes, but the Golden Knights rattled off 12 straight points to take a five-point lead (14-9) in the next five minutes. Bard would rally back to tie the game up at 22-22, but the Knights methodically pulled away thanks to a hot stretch from Coleman. The senior guard finished the first half with eight makes in just 10 shots for a first-half high of 16 points.

In the second half, the Raptors pulled within four points on a few occasions in the early going of the period, but a three-point play by Coleman on a layup and free throw at 16:15 gave the Knights a nine-point advantage (47-38). Clarkson would push the margin to double digits briefly as Coleman continued to make shots, missing only three times in his first 16 attempts from the floor. However, the Raptors would continue to make shots on the interior and not let Clarkson run away with the game. Both teams locked down defensively late in the game, as a Dylan Hodownes 3-pointer with 8:17 to go was the final field goal that the Knights would make for the remainder of the game. Bard started to chip away at the lead with free throws and again pulled to within four points late in the game. Needing to foul to get the ball back, the Raptors committed three in the waning moments, finally sending Coleman to the line with just a few ticks of the clock left. Coleman calmly sank both free throws to gain sole possession of the all-time scoring mark and gave the Knights a two-possession advantage.

Coleman finished with 29 points, shooting 13-for-19 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line, surpassing Justin Shope '95 for the all-time scoring mark at Clarkson with 1,592 career points. Felix Abongo produced a double-double with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. For Bard, Siondueh Burnett tossed in 12 points in just 20 minutes and Alex Fabean-Scotch added in 10 points. Brandon Cunningham also had eight points and eight boards.