Potsdam, NY - Senior Charles McAllister scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the first half as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team enjoyed a strong start against Union College on Saturday and held on for a 77-69 victory against Dutchmen at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights moved to 11-3 overall and 4-1 in league play, while Union fell to 8-7 overall and 2-4 in conference games. Clarkson will play at Vassar College and Bard College next weekend.

Clarkson could not have come out much hotter, with several different players burying 3-pointers in the early going, giving the Knights a 24-4 lead through the first seven minutes of the contest. Things could have gotten out of hand from that point, but Union was able to stop the rush and even pulled back to within 10 points (29-19) over the next 10 minutes. However, the Knights finished off the half with a 13-2 run and doubled up the Dutchmen 42-21 at the break. McAllister was particularly strong, making four of his five 3-point attempts and also scorin gon two other possessions for 16 points. John Coleman also had eight points at the break, while the team made seven 3-pointers in the opening half.

In the second half, it appeared as if Clarkson would be in for an easy time, pushing out to a 23-point edge (50-27) just a few minutes in, but Union slowly chipped away and was back to within 12 points (59-47) midway through the period. Clarkson was up by 17 points (64-47) before Union really put pressure on, pulling to within single digits with just under five minutes to go and coming within seven points after a pair of free throws from Kevin Weckworth with just under three minutes to play. A Terrell Winney 3-pointer with 1:41 to go brought Union to within six points, but that was as close as the Dutchmen would get, as the Knights were able to convert seven free throws down the stretch for an eight-point win.

McAllister and Coleman each finished with 18 points, with McAllister also adding in seven assists and three steals. Dylan Hodownes produced 11 points and five assists and Felix Abongo added in 11 points and 11 rebounds for Clarkson. For Union, Weckworth finished with 22 points, as the sophomore is averaging 17.7 points per game over the course of his career against Clarkson. William Hython had a strong second half to record a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds and Deshon Burgess chipped in 10 points.