Adam Dudzinski had 19 points and Troy McPherson had a season-high 11 points off the bench, as the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team rounded out 2024 with a 61-54 road victory against the Clark Cougars Saturday afternoon in Worcester, Mass. 

The Saints head into the new year with a 7-2 overall record, staying perfect with six wins against their non-conference opponents.

"It was encouraging to get the win and see the team make some strides in the right direction. Everything made for a fun weekend," said Saints men's basketball head coach Chris Downs. 

The Cougars started the first half on fire from the field, leading 19-8 less than seven minutes into the game. However, the Saints were able to manage eight of the games' next 10 points, and a layup by Dudzinski saw the Clark lead trimmed down to three.

The game was even for a while, but with four minutes to go, Dudzinski put in a pair at the free throw line and the Saints got their first lead of the game 25-24. At the end of the half, the Scarlet and Brown were ahead 29-27. Dudzinski had nine points and Andrew Cowan had three assists. 

The beginning of the second half was much lower scoring between the two foes. The Saints earned a three point lead, but then a 10-2 run by the Cougars gave the home team a 40-35 edge with 12:32 remaining.

After a St. Lawrence timeout, the Saints got a jumper from Aidan Macaulay and then four straight points from McPherson gave the Saints a 41-40 advantage. The remainder of the game was tightly contested until very late. With the score knotted at 54, Dan Anderson drained a three pointer with 1:23 to go to put the Scarlet and Brown up on top. The Saints got the stops they needed to on the defensive end and made their free throws to seal the seven point victory. 

Dudzinski and Cowan both had seven rebounds on the day and Cowan was the team leader with four assists. Dudzinski also had three steals. St. Lawrence shot 47 per cent from the field and made six of their 12 three-point attempts while Clark shot 33 per cent and 29 per cent from beyond the arc. The Saints also had 16 assists on their 21 made field goals and outscored the Cougars 28-16 in the paint. 

The Saints will now run the Liberty League gauntlet from this point on, only facing conference opponents until the end of the regular season. They look to avenge an early-season defeat in their next contest, as they visit the Clarkson Golden Knights on Monday, January 6.