Geneva, NY – Although the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team did not come out cold against Hobart on Friday night, it nevertheless could not keep pace with the Statesmen's offense as the Golden Knights dropped a 78-67 Liberty League decision.

The Golden Knights fell to 3-12 overall and 2-6 in the Liberty League while the Statesmen edged up to 9-6 overall and 6-2 in conference games. Clarkson looks to get a win on the road tomorrow when it takes on RIT at 2:00 pm in a game moved up two hours due to impending snow.

Last weekend the Knights were slow out of the gate, but Friday the team was able to keep pace with the Statesmen for the first five minutes thanks to 3-pointers from Matthew Hornak and Liam Ellis. However, a 9-0 run in just over two minutes had the Knights on their heels and down by double figures. The Statesmen held at least and eight-point advantage for the remainder of the half, each time answering a Clarkson shot with a make of their own. In the final 96 seconds of the half, Jamal Lucas scored five points and Jackson Meshanic converted inside to put Hobart up by 15 at the break.

Hobart shot well in the first half, going 17-for-32 (53.1%), and the Statesmen held a significant advantage in rebounds (27-9). Clarkson had just one offensive rebound in the first half, but the Knights were able to keep close until the final minutes thanks to six 3-pointers.

The Statesmen pushed their lead to 20 points until Matt Higgins hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to ignite the Clarkson offense. Barryn Shark and Chris Hulbert each tossed in 3-pointers as well, but the Knights had trouble over the final 14 minutes of the game to score from beyond the arc. Hobart foul trouble allowed Clarkson to claw its way back into the game despite its shooting woes, as the Knights went to the free throw line 18 times in the second half, making 15 attempts. Despite the steady diet of made free throws, scoring one point at a time could not get Clarkson within striking distance as the margin held at double figures for the rest of the contest.

Chris Hulbert led the Knights with 15 points, but he shot just 4-for-19 from the floor with three 3-pointers in 14 attempts. Matt Higgins tossed in 11 points and had a team-best five rebounds, while Keenan Gayle contributed five assists and Liam Ellis added four steals.

For Hobart, Jamal Lucas produced a double-double on 23 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Eden Fleurizard also had a double-double with 14 points and 14 boards and Tucker Lescoe contributed 20 points and seven assists, going 4-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.