Potsdam, NY - Leading for most of the second half, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team looked to be in position to open the 2013-14 season with a win, but a late scoring drought allowed Farmingdale State to slip past the Golden Knights in the first game of the campaign 71-67 at the North Country Invitational held at Potsdam State's Maxcy Hall.

The Golden Knights will take on SUNY Canton at 1:00 pm tomorrow in the classic format of the annual tournament.

Clarkson held a six-point advantage midway through the first half after a Charles McAllister lay in at the 11:01 mark, but Farmingdale State stopped the Clarkson offense and produced a 9-0 run in less than four minutes after Donald Lawes scored on a lay up. However, the Knights were able to shut down the Rams offense down the stretch, turning a three-point deficit into a four-point halftime advantage thanks to a 13-6 run over the course of five of the final six minutes of the half.

The Knights appeared prepared to close out a victory against the Rams, leading the entire second half until Terence Henderson put Clarkson down by a point after a lay up at the 6:16 mark. From that point on, Clarkson was able to rally twice to tie the score, but could never reclaim the lead, as the Knights struggled to make shots from the perimeter, scoring on just two of their 12 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

Overall, junior John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 11-for-20 from the floor, and all rebounders with 10 boards. Senior Marques Charlton also tacked on 14 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals in the contest as Clarkson had 19 assists against just 12 turnovers. Clarkson shot 7-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc, and was just under 50 percent from inside the extra-point line (20-for-44).

For the Rams, Terence Henderson had 21 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor and 9-for-14 from the free throw line. Tim Johnson added 15 points and Donald Lawes chipped in 10 points.