Senior Riley Naclerio and junior Ben Crawford each recorded a double-double and Dom DeRegis matched his season-high 15 points as the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team topped SUNY Potsdam 89-70 in their home opener Tuesday evening at Burkman Gymnasium.

Naclerio tallied 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Crawford added 25 and 10, respectively for their second double-doubles of the season. DeRegis added three rebounds, four assists and one steal for St. Lawrence. With tonigh't totals Naclerio currently ranks 18th on the Saints' all-time scoring list. 

SUNY Potsdam struck first and gained a quick 5-0 lead over the Scarlet and Brown with a dunk from Nosa Onabor. The Saints made a quick comeback to tie the game 16-16 with 13 minutes to play in the first half. The Bears took the lead twice in the next two minutes, but it was all Saints from then on.

First-years Brandon Arnold and Pierre Coffy knocked down two 3-pointers, extending the Saints' lead to 27-22. Crawford then showed off his dunking skills for a 41-33 lead with just over two minutes until the break.

St. Lawrence quickly secured a strong lead to start off the second half, including a 10-point run through the midway point.

The Scarlet and Brown shot 55 percent from the arc, while Naclerio went 3-for-6 in the second half. With five minutes remaining the Saints had amassed a 25-point lead.

"We're very happy with the win tonight," said head coach Chris Downs. "We came out looking for a positive result and made that happen on our home court. We have played a tough schedule thus far, including a very tough Potsdam team tonight. We know we have a lot work to do and looking forward to getting better for our games next weekend."



SUNY Potsdam was led by Onabor with 15 points and three rebounds, while Danny Delsol-Lowry and Andrew Hoag added nine points each. Colby Simpson finished the night with a team-high three steals.

With the win the Saints improved to 2-5 overall, while the Bears fell to 4-3. 

The Saints will take on SUNY Oswego on Friday, December 15th. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.