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Four in double figures as Knights men's basketball beats RIT 86-65

Posted 1/21/17

POTSDAM – Another dominating effort from Derek Hart was boosted by three other players in double figures as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team picked up an 86-65 victory over RIT in …

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Four in double figures as Knights men's basketball beats RIT 86-65

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POTSDAM – Another dominating effort from Derek Hart was boosted by three other players in double figures as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team picked up an 86-65 victory over RIT in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights moved to 9-8 on the season and evened their record at 4-4 in the Liberty League, while the Tigers fell to 9-8 and dropped to 3-5 in conference games.

RIT squeezed Hart in the early going as the senior forward had a few shots blocked in the early going, but his teammates were able to pick him up with a strong effort from the perimeter. Drew Zlogar scored seven points in the early going and a jumper from the senior at the 14:19 mark gave the Knights a 14-6 edge.

RIT would come back to tie the score three times before the Knights edged back out, gaining a 10-point lead at the 6:26 mark when Matthew Hornak buried a 3-pointer. Junior guard AJ Horde kept the Tigers in the game almost single-handedly with four 3-pointers in the first half and the Tigers looked to keep things close down to the final possession of the half. However, Matt Higgins made a 3-pointer from the corner with the clock running down to give the Knights a 41-33 edge at the break.

Horde finished with 16 points and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes for the Tigers while Zlogar shot 6-for-10 for 14 points in the first half for Clarkson. Hart shot 4-for-8 from the floor and had nine points in the opening period.

Another triple from Horde in the first minute pulled the Tigers to within seven at the 19:13 mark, but that was the last time that RIT would be within single figures. Liam Ellis made a 3-pointer and converted a layup, and that was followed by a Michael Hayduk 3-pointer and Derek Hart layup in the next two-plus minutes to give the Knights a 17-point cushion. Horde made a 3-pointer at the 13:37 mark to get the Tigers within 14, but again Clarkson was able to maintain its offense. Hart was specifically solid on the interior going 7-for-8 in the second half before being removed with seven minutes left in the game. At that point Clarkson was up by 20 points and was able to cruise to the win.

Hart finished with 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting, adding in nine rebounds, three assists and a block, while Zlogar closed with 18 points, going 8-for-15 from the floor, and nine boards. Ellis also added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Higgins contributed 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Hayduk also chipped in nine points, shooting 3-for-7 from the arc. Overall, Clarkson shot 47.9% from the field.

For RIT, Horde scored 28 points thanks to eight 3-pointers, and shot 9-for-22 overall. Still, the rest of his teammates combined to go 13-for-45 from the floor (28.9%). The Tigers got solid contributions on the interior as freshman Robert Aguilera had seven blocks and eight rebounds and Justin Schneider recorded eight points, five boards and four more blocked shots.