Potsdam, NY - With a 16-for-18 performance from the free throw line, the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team eliminated any hopes of a comeback by Bard College, as the Golden Knights defeated the visiting Raptors 82-70 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights improved to 15-8 overall and moved their conference record to 8-6 in the Liberty League, very much alive for the final playoff spot. Bard dropped to 4-18 overall and 1-12 in conference. Clarkson will play its final games of the regular season at Union College and Rensselaer for the right to continue its season in the conference tournament.

The Knights recovered from a poor shooting performance on Friday by getting right into their offensive flow on Saturday, but despite their best efforts they couldn’t shake Bard in the first half. Clarkson went up six points early after a Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY) lay up, but a quick timeout by the Raptors ended the run. The Knights pushed their advantage to as many as six points on several occasions, but Bard always had an answer, and the Raptors were able to get back within one point late in the first half as Siondueh Burnette made a steal at the top of the key and went in for an uncontested dunk. Though Bard was within one on a hand full of occasions, Clarkson would again extend the lead to six and never relinquish their advantage, settling the first 20 minutes with a four-point edge. For Clarkson, Marques Charlton (Deer Park, NY) had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting, and Bard was led by Burnette, who had 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field.

Though a pair of free throws early on allowed the Raptors to get back within two points, Clarkson was able to hit clutch shots at key moments to push the lead to double figures. A 3-pointer from Dylan Hodownes (Honeoye Falls, NY) with seven minutes to go gave Clarkson a 17-point lead, but the Raptors wouldn’t go away, making shots down the stretch. Bard was back within seven points with two minutes to go, but Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) came back with a 3-pointer to regain a double-digit advantage. Clarkson was able to make free throws down the stretch, thanks to Jerry Coleman, Charlton, and Llanos, giving the Knights a 12-point advantage at the end.

Llanos finished with 21 points, but took 23 shots to get his points, while Charlton finished with 16 points, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Jerry Coleman added 12 points, and Nate Uline (Gansevoort, NY) had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

For Bard, Burnette had 19 points, shooting 9-for-10 from the floor, and Matt Shubert contributed 16 points, but shot just 5-for-18 overall and 1-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.