Potsdam, NY - Junior John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) shot 10-for-17 from the floor for a game-high 23 points and made seven thefts on the defensive end to help lead the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team to a 64-47 Liberty League victory over Bard College Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights improved to 15-9 overall and 9-6 in the Liberty League while Bard fell to 5-19 overall and 0-15 in conference games. Clarkson needs either a win over Vassar on Saturday or for RIT to lose at Skidmore to claim the final Liberty League playoff spot.

The first half wasn't pretty for either team on Friday night as both struggled from the perimeter. Clarkson, the leading team in the conference and one of the best passing teams in the nation, was held without an assist in the first half as the team went just 7-for-24, including a 1-for-9 run from the 3-point arc. Bard wasn't much better shooting 8-for-22 overall and 1-for-7 from the arc, but Siondueh Burnette was 4-for-5 for the Raptors to keep them in it. Clarkson fell behind by six in the early going but was sparked by a four-point play by Marques Charlton (Deer Park, NY) at the 16:45 mark and the team was able to push out to a four-point lead at the break, again thanks to a Charlton offensive putback at the buzzer.

In the second half, both teams were much better with their shots, but Clarkson was able to force turnovers and get easy buckets at the other end. Bard was within three in the early going, but a 3-pointer from Felix Abongo (Beacon, NY) answered the Raptors run. However, it wasn't until just over nine minutes remained in the game that the Knights began to pull away. Bard hit a 3-pointer to make the score 41-34, but a Michael Hayduk (Clinton, NY) 3-pointer at the other end was a key response and Clarkson spent the final minutes of the contest making small runs to extend its advantage. With three minutes to go, Clarkson capped an 8-0 run for a 19-point lead, and the Knights would hold on for a 17-point victory.

Coleman had 23 points and seven steals in the contest, edging closer to a pair of single-season records for the Knights. Coleman has now made 207 field goals this year, four shy of the single-season record set by John Gordon in the 1976-77 season, and his 64 steals are five shy of the mark set by Mike McCarthy in the 1975-76 campaign. Felix Abongo delivered a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Marques Charlton contributed 11 points. Bard was led by Lamar Powell's 13 points and Burnett finished with eight points and seven rebounds.