Knights Come Up Short in Overtime Against St. Lawrence

Freshman Alyssia Marsal finished with eight points for Clarkson against St. Lawrence on Tuesday. - Photo by Gary Mikel

Box Score

Potsdam, NY – Tied at the end of both the first half and the second half, the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team and St. Lawrence needed extra time to decide the winner, with the Golden Knights coming up just short against the Saints, 65-59, in Liberty League action Tuesday night.

The Golden Knights fell to 8-14 overall and 3-11 in the Liberty League, while St. Lawrence improved to 16-7 overall and 12-2 in conference games. Both teams will close out the regular season this weekend when they host Bard and Vassar.

Clarkson jumped out to a lead in the early going and pushed the advantage to as many as 10 points (14-4) midway through the first half as St. Lawrence committed numerous turnovers in the paint and on the perimeter. Trailing by seven after a Brooke Butkovsky (Monroe, CT) lay up at the 6:30 mark, the Saints started to get their feet under them better and had the offense running at a better clip. Kara McDuffee made a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:11 to go, giving St. Lawrence a 23-18 lead on the heels of a 13-1 run. The Saints wouldn't score for the rest of the half, but Clarkson would make up the difference in the final 10 seconds. Alyssia Marsal (Clifton Park, NY) made a layup and was fouled, and following the missed free throw, Katelyn Curtis (Leicester, NY) found Cara Manfredi (Glastonbury, CT) on the perimeter where the junior buried a 3-pointer to tie the game going into the locker room.

In the second half, neither team could get much of an advantage as the momentum shifted back and forth on virtually every possession. Clarkson led by four early in the second half, but it was St. Lawrence that appeared ready to run away with the game late. The Saints had a five-point advantage with 3:25 remaining, but the Knights were able to get to the line and convert free throws, tying the game at 47-47 on a pair of Brooke Butkovsky makes. St. Lawrence's Kelly Legg hit a pair of freebies at the other end, but Butkovsky hit a mid-range jumper from the elbow with 35 seconds to go. After a missed layup by the Saints, the Knights were left with a heave at the buzzer and the game went to overtime.

The Saints jumped ahead with a 3-pointer by Allison Cady in the first minute of overtime and never looked back, but the Knights would not allow St. Lawrence to get out of Alumni Gym easily. With two minutes remaining, Ashley Loggins (Albany, NY) hit a pair of free throws to help Clarkson climb back within two, and another free throw from Loggins on the next possession brought the gap to just one, but the Saints were able to get the key free throws to fall down the stretch and held on for a six-point victory.

Brooke Butkovsky finished two points shy of her career-high with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting and Loggins finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Four players finished in double figures for the Saints, including two that nearly posted double-doubles in Kara McDuffee (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Cassie St. Hilaire (11 points, 9 rebounds). Caroline Dalton was nearly perfect for her 16 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and Lauren Quattrocchi added in 13 points as well as six boards and five assists.

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