Knights See Five-Game Winning Streak Against Potsdam End in 77-65 Defeat

Jerry Coleman scored a season-high 22 points in Tuesday's loss at Potsdam - photo by Lauren Magin

Potsdam, NY – Struggling from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half with only two makes in 18 attempts, the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team was unable to keep pace with Potsdam State on Tuesday, falling 77-65 in non-league action at Maxcy Hall.

The Golden Knights lost their first game of the season, dropping to 3-1 overall. Potsdam earned its first win to improve to 1-2. Clarkson will host Elmira College on Friday at Alumni Gymnasium.

After a 3-pointer on their second possession, Clarkson had a one-point lead, but that advantage would be the last that the Golden Knights would enjoy in the first half. Potsdam steadily built its lead, pushing to as many as seven points (15-8), but the Bears would settle in with a four to six point advantage throughout the majority of the half, finishing at the break up by four, 37-33. The Golden Knights struggled to get in sync offensively in the first half, as their ball movement was stymied by the Bears defense. Potsdam forced an uncharacteristic nine turnovers by Clarkson in the first half, while restricting the Knights to just five assists on their 13-for-29 shooting. On the other end, the Bears shot 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc to counteract their trouble from the interior, as Potsdam was only 9-for-25 (36.0%) on 2-point shots.

Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY) and Felix Abongo (Beacon, NY) each tossed in nine points in the first half, while Mark Lake, Jr. scored 11 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field, to lead Potsdam.

In the second half, Clarkson pulled to within a single point on three different occasions, but Clarkson’s reliance on the 3-point shot, which has helped them to numerous wins in the past few seasons, failed them on Tuesday. Clarkson made just a single 3-pointer in the second half until the final minute, and a late stretch saw a three-point gap between the two teams expand to nine as the Knights missed a pair of shots and turned the ball over three times, allowing the Bears to gain an advantage that they would never relinquish.

Jerry Coleman finished with a team-best 22 points while Marques Charlton (Deer Park, NY) added in 16 points. Freshman Felix Abongo contributed 13 points as the Clarkson starters combined for 62 of the team’s 65 points. Potsdam had four players finish in double figures, led by Mark Lake, Jr., who had 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting.

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