Knights Come Out Cold In Second Half, Fall to SLU

January 16, 2007

Brandon Linton recorded nine points and five rebounds against SLU - photo by Chris Lenney

Potsdam, NY – Sophomore Richard Williams scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added four blocks as St. Lawrence defeated the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team 73-59 in Liberty League action Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights drop to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play while the Saints improved to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in the Liberty League. Both teams continue conference play at home this weekend when Vassar and Rensselaer visit the North Country.

Right from the opening tip, St. Lawrence forced Clarkson to play an up-tempo style, something the Golden Knights try to avoid, usually playing a slower pace for a lower-scoring contest. However, Clarkson was able to keep the pace with the Saints for most of the first half until late in the period when the Saints went on a 16-8 run to extend a modest three-point advantage to 11 points, 40-29, with just over a minute remaining. However, Clarkson stopped the streak with a 7-0 run of their own to creep to within four at intermission. Richard Williams led all scorers with nine points and five rebounds off the bench for the Saints, while Erick Vigansky (Kenosha, WI) scored eight points and grabbed five boards. Though the Knights took 10 more shots in the half, the Saints were able to get several key players into foul trouble and shot 15-for-16 from the free throw line.

In the second half, the pace of play slowed, but the Knights were unable to make any dent in the St. Lawrence lead. After a Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) lay up at 14:46 made the score 47-43 in favor of the Saints, SLU went on a 10-1 run over the next 5:11 to extend the lead to double figures. The Golden Knights stayed in the game thanks to free throws, but Clarkson started to fall back again after an 11:11 stretch without a field goal by Erick Vigansky at 3:35.

Williams finished the game 8-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the line for the Saints. Bela Vonnak and Josh Sharlow each added eight points and eight rebounds for St. Lawrence. Elson Pickering (Bronx, NY) scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes to lead the Knights, while Vigansky finished with 10 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Clarkson shot just 6-for-30 in the second half.

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