Potsdam, NY – Tom Wopperer produced an impressive shooting performance for St. Lawrence, scoring 31 points, as the Saints sent the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team to a tough 82-75 loss in Liberty League action Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights dropped to 11-8 overall and 2-6 in conference games while St. Lawrence won for the 10th time in 11 tries to improve to 14-4 and 7-1. Clarkson closes out a five-game homestand this weekend against Skidmore and Union.
In a reversal of the previous meeting between the two teams, the Golden Knights came out with a flurry of offense, scoring the game’s opening seven points in the first 1:24. However, the Saints matched that total in the next 44 seconds, and the offense didn’t slow from there. St. Lawrence went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to take an eight-point advantage, but the Knights came back and dropped it to a single possession game on several occasions. The final three minutes swung in St. Lawrence’s favor, though, and the Saints finished the half with a nine-point lead, their biggest of the game.
St. Lawrence senior Tom Wopperer had 16 points to lead all scorers, shooting 7-for-11 from the floor. For the Knights, Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) helped the Knights break out of a shooting slump from beyond the arc, making three 3-pointers for nine points, more than Clarkson had made total in the previous two games. George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) added in seven points and four rebounds and Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) contributed six points and five rebounds.
Coming out of intermission, the Saints pushed their lead to as many as 13 points, but the Knights responded with a full-court defense which seemed to stymie the St. Lawrence high-speed style. Trailing by 10 midway through the period, the Knights tied the score up with 12-2 run, highlighted by an acrobatic spin move on the fast break by Felix Llanos (Queens, NY). The two teams jockeyed back and forth for a few more minutes before St. Lawrence again took control, thanks to the high volume of fouls called throughout the contest on both sides. With Ryan Smith, George Koduah, and Elson Pickering all fouling out in a short time frame, the Knights were without any big men and the Saints took advantage, working their way to the free throw line a total of 41 times, converting 26 of their attempts. Tom Wopperer was especially lethal, making all seven of his attempts, including the final two with just 24 seconds to go for the final score.
Clarkson had four players finish in double figures, led by Salanger, who had 14 points. Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) contributed 11 points and 5 assists and Pickering and Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) each scored 10.
Wopperer had his 31 points on 10-for-15 shooting overall, including four 3-pointers. Richard Williams and Ralph Temgoua each contributed 12 points.
