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Knights men's basketball fall to Skidmore in Conference Championship, 68-64

Posted 3/1/15

Saratoga Springs, NY - A furious second half comeback came up a few points short for the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team, as the Golden Knights lost by four, 68-64, to Skidmore College in …

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Knights men's basketball fall to Skidmore in Conference Championship, 68-64

Posted

Saratoga Springs, NY - A furious second half comeback came up a few points short for the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team, as the Golden Knights lost by four, 68-64, to Skidmore College in the Liberty League Championship game Saturday afternnoon.

The Golden Knights saw their season record fall to 20-7 overall, and will have to wait to see if that mark is good enough to warrant an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Skidmore earned the conference's automatic bid and moved to 19-7 in 2014-15.

Clarkson got off to a fast start, and held a nine-point lead through the first eight minutes of the contest (16-7) following a free throw from Dylan Hodownes. Clarkson pushed its lead to as many as 11 (22-11) at the midway point of the half when Felix Abongo scored on a layup, but the Golden Knights offense went cold, missing its next six shots from the floor. Skidmore used that lull to take the lead, gaining a 23-22 lead at the 5:38 mark. Though Clarkson would briefly retake the lead, Skidmore ended the half on a 12-2 run in the final four minutes and headed into the locker room with a 37-28 advantage.

The Thoroughbreds also scored the first six points of the second half (18-2 run) to take a 43-28 lead, but unlike the previous two meetings between the two teams, the Knights would not let Skidmore run away with the game. At 12:24, Drew Zlogar made a jumper to pull the Knights within six points (47-41) and though Skidmore would puts its lead back briefly to double digits, a 3-pointer by Zlogar at 6:16 had Clarkson within just a single point (56-55). The Thoroughbreds would not relinquish their lead, though, leading by three points with less than two minutes to go. Zlogar hit another clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 62-62 with just over a minute to go. The tie was shortlived for Clarkson, as Skidmore's Aldin Medunjanin went to the hole for a layup with a foul with 47 seconds remaining. While that play was key, the missed free throw and offensive rebound grabbed by Connor Merrill was even more important, as Medunjanin made two free throws to make it a two-possession game. Hodownes made two free throws for Clarkson with 32 seconds to go, but Royce Paris responded with two free throws for Skidmore to push the lead back to four. Hodownes missed a 3-pointer at the other end in hopes of pulling the Knights to within one, but Skidmore grabbed the rebound and was able to run out the clock.

John Coleman led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 12-for-20 from the field, adding in seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Felix Abongo had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, chipping in five asists as well. Hodownes added in 10 points as well, and Charles McAllister added nine points, four rebounds and three assists. For Skidmore, Erik Sanders had another big game with 25 points, going 8-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-12 from the line, while Merrill added 14 points, seven boards, and four blocked shots. Medunjanin added 13 points and Paris had eight points and eight rebounds.