Adam Dudzinski scored 11 points and had six rebounds to lead the Saints in both categories but the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team fell 59-37 against the Clarkson Golden Knights in their Liberty League opener Friday at Burkman Gymnasium.

The Saints drop to 1-1 after the loss, with a 0-1 mark in the Liberty League.

Neither team could get any offense going until a layup by Dudzinski nearly three minutes in gave the Saints a 2-0 advantage. The beginning of the first half was low scoring for the most part, although the Saints had a lead for most of the opening 10 minutes.

A 10-foot jumper by Cowan gave the Saints a 15-12 lead with 7:48 remaining in the half, but immediately after this, the Golden Knights got hot from the field. The remainder of the half was a 15-2 run for Clarkson and they turned the tide, leading 27-17 at the break.

The Golden Knights picked up right where they left off at the start of the second, scoring the first six of the points to take a 33-17 lead. St. Lawrence had a solid stretch after this as Dudzinski had seven points in a three-minute span to get the Saints within 10, as they trailed 41-31 with 11:42 to go.

Despite this, Clarkson then went on an 11-0 run to swell their lead up to 21 points. Late in the game, Brayden Sheperdson hit a three-pointer to make the game 52-37, but the Saints didn't score the rest of the game, falling for the first time this season.



The Saints will return to non-conference play, with their first road game of the year slated for Tuesday, November 19 at 7 p.m. against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals.