Potsdam, NY – A last second 3-point attempt from Liam Ellis hit the front of rim as the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team came up just short in regulation, falling 66-63 in the first game of the North Country Invitational at SUNY Potsdam's Maxcy Hall.
The Golden Knights (0-1) will take on either host SUNY Potsdam or Green Mountain College at 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the tournament. Bridgewater State (1-1) will challenge for the tournament's title at 3:00 pm on Saturday.
A 3-pointer in the first few possessions from Matthew Hornak gave Clarkson an early lead and another 3-pointer from Liam Ellis at the 14:16 mark gave the Knights a 13-10 lead, making it appear as if the two teams would be in for a track meet of scoring, with Clarkson on pace for 90. However, the Knights went into bit of a lull, losing the lead in the process as Bridgewater State went on an 8-0 run. A Jake Purdy reverse layup snapped Clarkson's funk at 9:51 and the Knights went on a scoring spurt in the final seven-plus minutes of the half. Thanks to five 3-pointers down the stretch, Clarkson went on a 17-6 run to end the first period, capped off by a Roburt Welch shot from the top of the key with just under a minute remaining.
Liam Ellis ended the half with 13 points, shooting 5-for-6 overall, with three assists and Matthew Hornak closed with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Clarkson shot 7-for-16 from the 3-point line in the half, and committed just six turnovers to Bridgewater State's 10, making up for an 18-15 rebounding deficit. For the Bears, Dimitri St. Louis scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and grabbed five rebounds coming off the bench, while Joseph Carty had nine points in the paint in the first half.
In the first two minutes of the second half, Bridgewater State pulled to within six (37-31), but Clarkson went on another streak of 3-pointers to push its lead to 12, and settled at an 11-point lead (48-37) with a little over 14 minutes to go in the game. From there, Clarkson went cold from the perimeter and went to the interior game, finding Gary Hanley for back-to-back buckets near the 8-minute mark. From that point, the Bears began finding Rayshon Ward on the interior, as the sophomore forward was slipping his man for layups. After a third layup from Ward, the Bears were within one (58-57) and a minute later Bridgewater State took its first lead since 20-19 on a layup from Rocky DeAndrade. A 20-foot floater with the shot clock dwindling down a minute later gave the Bears a three-point advantage, but Clarkson finally broke the 8-0 run on a put back by Matt Higgins with 1:00 to go. Bridgewater State made four free throws in the next 45 seconds to take a five-point lead, but a Hornak 3-pointer with eight seconds kept thing close. Although the Bears made just one of the next two free throws, Liam Ellis's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off left, giving Bridgewater State the come-from-behind victory.
Ellis finished with a game-high 16 points and also added in seven assists. Hornak tossed in 15, all from beyond the arc, and Higgins added 11 points. Four players finished in double figures for Bridgewater State, led by a double-double from Rayshon Ward (15 points, 11 rebounds). Joseph Carty contributed 13 points and nine boards and Dimitri St. Louis had 13 points and seven rebounds. Rocky DeAndrade also finished with 12 points. Bridgewater State ended the game with a 40-30 edge in rebounds, including a 10-5 lead in offensive rebounds.
