Potsdam, NY – Double-doubles from Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) and Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) helped the Clarkson Men’s Basketball team down Rensselaer 71-64 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights improved to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the Liberty League while the Engineers fell to 9-3 and 1-1. Clarkson, one of only two unbeaten teams in conference play after just one weekend, will host St. Lawrence on Tuesday.
Despite an early run that gave the Knights a five-point advantage, thanks to several turnovers by the Engineers and steals by Clarkson, neither team could gain much of an advantage in a back-and-forth half. Rensselaer came back from the early deficit to claim the lead, but Clarkson responded with another late push to take a 28-22 lead with just over two minutes to go. A free throw and a lay up pulled the Engineers back to within three, but Clarkson enjoyed a lengthy possession at the end of the half with numerous offensive rebounds. That long possession didn’t finish with any points, however, as the teams were separated by three at the break, 28-25.
Forwards Jonathan Hood and Elson Pickering each had a strong first half, with Hood leading the team with seven rebounds and Pickering producing seven points and six boards of his own. Senior guard Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) kicked in seven points and four rebounds as well. For the Engineers Mike Brion came off the bench to score seven points. The Knights enjoyed a strong edge on the boards (27-16), gaining nine more shots on their end.
Starting the second half with an 8-0 run, the Knights extended their lead to as many as 15 points midway through the half, but the Engineers never stopped pressing Clarkson in hopes of getting back into the game. The strategy worked at times, as Rensselaer chipped away to reduce the deficit to less than 10 with a little over three minutes to go. The Engineers got back to within four points in the final minutes, but three free throws late gave Clarkson the seven-point win.
Pickering finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, passing the 900-point mark in his career, while Hood contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds. Linton tossed in 13 points to go along with 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) added 10 points. George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) just missed a double-double of his own with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Rensselaer had a balanced attack offensively, led by Eric Anderson’s 10 points. Five other players had seven points or more, with Ricky Philatre contributing 8 points and 9 rebounds.
