Knights Edged Out by St. Lawrence, 55-49

Freshman Raeanne Clabeaux had a double-double in only her second collegiate game with 12 points and 10 rebounds against St. Lawrence

Canton, NY – The smallest margin of defeat in eight seasons is little solace to the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team, but the 55-49 loss to St. Lawrence University on Tuesday put the Liberty League on notice that the Golden Knights are prepared to vie for a conference playoff spot sooner rather than later.

The Golden Knights fell to 5-4 overall on the season and 0-1 in the Liberty League, while St. Lawrence improved to 7-4 and 3-0 in conference games.

In the first half, Clarkson struggled on offense in the opening minutes as St. Lawrence was active on defense in denying shots and forcing five turnovers. Trailing by eight points through the first five minutes, the Golden Knights finally got on the scoreboard with a jumper from the baseline by Carey Turner (Clifton Park, NY). While it seemed like it was a minimal breaking of the ice offensively, the basket allowed Clarkson to get going while holding the Saints in check. The Knights came all the way back and took the lead late in the half, but finished up trailing by one point as St. Lawrence’s Katie Edgerton made the half’s only 3-point field goal in the final minute of the half.

Raeanne Clabeaux (New Woodstock, NY) came off the bench to score six points on 3-for-3 shooting, and added in six rebounds as well. Carey Turner also chipped in four points and five rebounds as Clarkson had a solid 22-13 edge on the boards. Unfortunately for the Knights, their superior shooting percentage and rebound lead wasn’t enough to overcome the 18 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half was different from the first in that neither team had the same kind of lengthy scoring droughts, but neither team could gain a significant edge on the scoreboard. St. Lawrence held the lead for most of the half, but Clarkson continually made shots on mid-range jumpers to keep the game within a possession or two.

Trailing by four points with just over three minutes to go, Clarkson gained the lead on back-to-back 3-point plays. Chrissy Scanlon (Queensbury, NY) converted on a bank shot in the lane and was followed up by a streaking lay up from Leighann Tomita (Cerritos, CA) to take a 45-43 lead.

Following a pair of free throws to tie the game, St. Lawrence reclaimed the lead a minute later when Casey Capello netted a pair of free throws after Chrissy Scanlon’s blocked shot was whistled as a foul, giving the Saints a 47-45. The play proved to be a key turning point, as the Saints forced another Clarkson turnover on the following possession and picked up a basket on the play. A foul gave St. Lawrence two more free throw attempts, which were converted, giving the Saints a six-point lead that they would not relinquish.

Clabeaux finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Scanlon added in 11 points for the Knights. Tomita tossed in a team-best 13 points, going 7-for-9 from the free throw line.

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