Potsdam, NY – A 14-0 run to end the second quarter put the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team ahead and the Golden Knights never looked back, securing a 59-46 win over Rensselaer in Liberty League action Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights moved to 2-2 on the season and 1-0 in the Liberty League, while RPI fell to 5-2 and 0-1. Clarkson will face Skidmore College at 2:00 pm on Saturday, while the Engineers hope to regroup against St. Lawrence.

Three 3-pointers, two from Carly Assimon and one more from Molly Stewart, late in the second quarter allowed Clarkson to quickly trim a double-digit advantage to one as the Golden Knights hit five 3-pointers in the first half.

Rensselaer scored on its first possession and although the Engineers briefly lost the lead in the early going, RPI led throughout the majority of the first period by at least a few points. Hannah Earl hit a layup with 1:23 left in the quarter to make the score 14-10, but Ines Ortea tallied at the other end with just 15 seconds remaining to put the lead at six after 10 minutes.

At the start of the second quarter, RPI rattled off six more to push its advantage to 12, but Clarkson began a 19-0 run that rolled through halftime and into the third on a Hannah Earl jumper at the 3:44 mark. A trio of 3-pointers and a three-point play on a layup and free throw from Claire Flannery put the Knights up by two at the break, and that strong offensive rush combined with three charges taken at the other end helped limit Rensselaer's opportunities.

Clarkson continued its run at the start of the second half as Molly Stewart opened with a layup and Rachel Marion knocked down a three from the corner. The Engineers pulled to within four late in the quarter on a drive by LaKissa Martin late in the period, but Clarkson picked up four points late, including two on free throws from Emma Buonanno to extend the advantage to eight at the end of 30 minutes.

Carly Assimon hit a 3-pointer at the start of the fourth to give the Knights a double-digit lead and Clarkson led by that amount for most of the period. It wasn't until late that RPI put on a run to get within seven following a 3-pointer from Elizabeth Eckhardt, but Kati Gotch assured the Knights of the win by working her way into the paint for a pair of layups and Clarkson closed things out with free throws down the stretch.

Carly Assimon led the Golden Knights in scoring for the fifth straight game, producing 16 points, while Molly Stewart added 11 points. Hannah Earl contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, also chipping in four assists and two steals.

For RPI, Ines Ortea and Elizabeth Eckhardt scored more than 75 percent of the team's points, with Ortea producing 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting and Eckhardt scoring 16 points thanks to four 3-pointers.