Jan. 27: The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team rallied from 17-points down in the second half and pulled to within four points of Clarkson on Tuesday with 1:58 remaining in regulation.  However, the Golden Knights were able to knock down clutch free throws down the stretch to pick up a 78-68 Liberty League win in the Burkman Gymnasium in Canton, NY.

Clarkson has now won five straight games to improve to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the league, while the Saints fall to 9-8 (4-5).  Conrad Zampier gave the Knights a spark off the bench with a team-high 16 points thanks to a perfect 5-for-5 night from behind the arc.  St. Lawrence had five players score in double-figures, including Brady Condlin's team-high 15 points and six rebounds.

Both teams shot the ball well, as Clarkson was 53% from the floor and 46% from three (11-for-24), while the Saints shot 46% and 44% from behind the arc.  The visitors held a 24-11 advantage in assists and committed four fewer turnovers, while the Saints had a 33-29 lead in rebounds.  Kyle Edwards, Kaleb Faison, Willie Zachery and Kyle Kobis all had 10+ points for the home team, while Leondre Simmon chipped in nine on 4-of-4 shooting.

Clarkson held the lead for the majority of the first half until Kobis hit a three with 5:28 remaining to give the Saints their first lead at 27-26.  The Knights answered in style with an 8-0 run behind Zampier and Drew Zlogar to help recapture a 38-31 cushion at intermission.

The visitors continued to hit big three point shots early in the second half, getting a few favorable bounces off the rim as well to build the game's largest lead of 61-44 with 10:24 left after a triple from Zampier.  However, St. Lawrence began to trim away at the lead with Condlin and Simmon, kick-starting a 12-0 run that got the Saints within five.  John Coleman stepped up and ended the run with an off-balance shot from the baseline to steady the ship for Clarkson with 5:38 left.

As the game started to slip away, St. Lawrence again rallied from 10 points down to scare the visitors again behind full court press.  This time, a 6-0 run capped by a lay-up by Faison got the crowd into the game with St. Lawrence within four at 69-65.  Dylan Hodownes' lay-up put Clarkson back up by six, and after a turnover and several missed jumpers by the home team, Clarkson used solid free throw shooting to put the finishing touches on the 78-68 win.

St. Lawrence will host two critical conference games this weekend, as the team takes on Hobart and RIT.  The Saints square off with the Statesmen on Friday, January 30 at 8:00pm.