Potsdam, NY – Too many turnovers proved to be the undoing of the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team as the Golden Knights committed 21 turnovers in a 71-54 loss to Union College Friday night in Liberty League action at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights fell to 4-5 in the Liberty League while seeing their overall record evened at 9-9. Union improved to 5-3 at the midpoint of their conference schedule and improved to 9-7 overall.

When Clarkson got a shot up in the early going, chance were it was going to go in, but the Knights had six turnovers in the first eight minutes and trailed 12-8. Taking better care of the basketball, Clarkson scored the next seven points and gained a modest three-point edge (15-12). Union responded with a small run of its own a few minutes later, converting eight straight to take a 24-18 lead and force the Knights to take a timeout. The Dutchmen held the lead until the final possession for Clarkson when Liam Ellis hit a 3-pointer late to give Clarkson a 30-29 advantage at the break.

That would be the last that Clarkson would hold a lead, as Union began the half with a pair of baskets. Though Clarkson would cut the lead to one, just a few moments later Kevin Weckworth and Deshon Burgess combined to extend Union's lead from just four to 13 points, with Weckworth burying three 3-pointers in a matter of minutes. The Knights went cold and continued to have miscues as Union made enough shots to push their advantage to as many as 22 points, with the final margin settling at 17.

Because of its 21 turnovers, Clarkson mustered just 49 shots in the game, shooting 40.8% from the floor. Conversely, Union had just 10 turnover s and was able to take 63 shots. In those 14 extra pulls, Union made seven more shots than Clarkson, creating the winning buffer zone.

Derek Hart finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, the fewest shot attempts he's had in the past 12 games. Drew Zlogar tossed in 13 points and also contributed eight rebounds. For Union, Deshon Burgess had 20 points and eight rebounds while Wade McNamara pushed through with a double-double despite a rough shooting night (3-for-14), producing 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Kevin Weckworth also chipped in 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half.