Potsdam, NY - In front by 33 after the opening 20 minutes, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team possessed more than enough cushion to produce the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry with Potsdam State, as the Golden Knights enjoyed an 83-62 win over the Bears Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium. 

The Golden Knights moved to a perfect 3-0 and will complete their four-game homestand next Sunday when they host Plattsburgh State. The Bears dropped to 0-2.

Utilizing their size on the inside perfectly, the Knights used several quick runs to take an early lead and push it to excessive proportions, owning a 32-8 lead 11 minutes into the contest. The Bears finally reached double digits at the 8:40 mark of the first half, but Clarkson continued to respond with timely 3-point field goals. On 18 made field goals in the first half, the Knights had 17 assists.

Senior forward Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) scored 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first half as eight different players scored in a 52-point first period. Eight players also had at least one assist, led by senior Keith Murray (Queens, NY) who had four assists to go along with two steals.

In the second half, Potsdam began with full court pressure that flustered the Knights into some careless turnovers, but fortunately the lead was so significant it mattered little in the final outcome. The lead fell to just 20 points on one occasion, but 3-pointer field goals from Shawn Lasalita (San Diego, CA) and Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) returned the lead to 26 and Potsdam would only edge back to within 21 before the final buzzer.

The 21-point win was Clarkson's largest in the history of the rivalry, spanning 66 games. It topped the 18-point margin of victory that the Knights enjoyed in the 2003-04 season (62-44).

Pickering finished with 19 points and Llanos closed with 18 points and 8 rebounds for Clarkson. Tyler Barron (Burlington, VT) added 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in just 15 minutes of action for the Knights.

For Potsdam, Anthony Williams had team-highs of 14 points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Curtis Pearce added 12 points and Olando Minott scored 10 for Potsdam.