Potsdam, NY – Tom Wopperer made a 12-foot jumper from the corner with just 2.9 seconds left in the game to lift St. Lawrence to a 57-56 victory over the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team in Liberty League action Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights fell to 7-12 overall and 5-3 in the conference while St. Lawrence escaped to move to 12-7 and 7-1. Clarkson will visit Skidmore on Friday, while the Saints will go to Union.
The first half of Tuesday’s game was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team ever enjoyed a lead of more than four points. A handful of lead changes marked the half, as well as five ties, including the final tally at the buzzer, with both teams knotted at 28.
Junior forward Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) scored a team-high 10 points to lead the Knights, shooting 4-for-9 from the floor. He also added in a block, two steals and three rebounds. Junior Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) recorded six points on a pair of 3-point field goals, and senior John Chiero (Southington, CT) was a valued asset off the bench with five points and two rebounds in just five minutes. Despite a tough shooting performance (1-for-7) in the first half, sophomore Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) made his presence felt from the point with five assists and two steals.
Tom Wopperer was able to get to the line easily for the Saints, getting three, two-shot fouls, in which he converted four of his attempts, leading to his team-high 10 points. Richard Williams grabbed six rebounds, and Andy Hoercher added in six points for St. Lawrence.
The second half went back and forth, again, as neither team could really take control of the game. The contest came down to a handful of possessions, all of them by St. Lawrence in the final 30 seconds. The Saints enjoyed several solid looks from inside the 3-point arc, but the Clarkson was unable to get the rebounds as the good-sized Saints were able to pick the rebounds off over the heads of the Knights big men. The multiple possessions paid off for the Saints as Wopperer nailed his 12-footer with 2.9 seconds remaining. The Knights did get a good look at the end of game, but James Evans’ (Hamburg, NY) 15-footer from the corner went long to give the Saints the road victory.
Pickering scored a game-high 19 points and added 9 rebounds to go along with two blocks and three steals. Salanger finished with nine points and Linton completed the contest with eight assists and three steals. Wopperer scored a team-high 16 to lead the Saints. Andy Hoercher scored eight points.
