Potsdam, NY – Seniors EJ Harrison (Troy, NY) and Erick Vigansky (Kenosha, WI) combined to score 33 second-half points as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team picked up its third straight win with a 74-63 victory over cross town rival Potsdam State Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights moved to 3-0 on the season and host RIT and Elmira College this weekend. The Bears, who also lost to Clarkson 58-55 in the North Country Invitational 10 days ago, dropped to 1-3 on the season.
The two teams seesawed back and forth throughout the first half with neither team able to gain a lead of more than five points in the opening 20 minutes. Senior forward Tim Reinhardt dominated in the first half, shooting 7-for-10 from the field for 16 of Potsdam’s 24 points. The Knights used a more balanced scoring attack with sophomore guard Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) leading the way with nine points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
The Knights lost the lead briefly at the open of the second half, but three consecutive possessions resulted in 3-point field goals as the Knights ran out to an eight-point advantage. Two more 3-pointers in the coming minutes by EJ Harrison and Erick Vigansky extended the advantage to 13 points, 46-33, at the 13:03 mark of the second half. Through the first nine minutes of the second half, Clarkson shot 7-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. However, after holding a 52-37 lead, the Bears went on a 12-3 run to drop the lead to six with 7:00 minutes remaining in the second half. After a quick timeout, the Knights extended their lead back into double figures with some tough shots in the paint and finished the game without allowing their lead to drop below six points.
Harrison finished as the team-high scorer for Clarkson, shooting 7-for-14 from the floor for 18 points to go along with four assists and four steals. Vigansky broke out of a shooting slump to pour in 17 points, all in the second half. Salanger finished with 14 points for the Knights.
Reinhardt concluded his outstanding game for Potsdam with a game-high 32 points, shooting 15-for-23 from the floor, along with seven rebounds. Brandon Siskavich was the only other Potsdam player to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points.
