Potsdam, NY – Sophomore Molly Stewart hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 24 seconds to go to help lift the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team to a 71-67 win over Houghton College on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights close out the first half of the season with a record of 5-4 and will now be off for the next four weeks before returning to league play the first weekend of January. Houghton moved to 4-4 on the season.

Stewart led a contingent of four Clarkson players in double figures, and the Knights needed each performance to escape with a victory.

Houghton jumped out to a six-point lead in the early going of the first quarter as Clarkson turned the ball over four times in the first five minutes before Stewart hit a layup at the 4:59 mark to get the offense going. The Knights' final five minutes of the quarter could not have been any different as Clarkson poured in 19 points in the second portion of the first, capping things off with a Hannah Earl jumper in the final seconds to gain a 20-13 lead at the first break.

Clarkson's offense suffered through a considerable slump in the second, however, allowing Houghton to slowly climb back into the game. Up by 10 points after an Olivia Marshall free throw at 4:06, the Knights scored just one more free throw the rest of the way and the Highlanders trailed by just two at the break.

The third quarter saw ties at 39-39 and 49-49, but the Knights never fell behind in that period. A Cori Beck layup at 7:36 put the Highlanders up by one, and Houghton extended its lead to three on its next possession (59-56), but Stewart hit a 3-pointer for Clarkson to tie the game up once again. The game remained close for the next four minutes and Hannah Cybart's jumper at 2:22 knotted the score up one more time at 65-65. In the final minute, Devin Sorell found Stewart up top for an open 3-pointer, and the sophomore guard nailed it to put Clarkson up by three, 68-65. Houghton's Brittany Lenart sliced through the lane on the Highlanders' next possession and narrowed the deficit to one, but the visitors were now in a position where they would need to foul. Houghton fouled three times to force Clarkson into a free throw situation and Madison Shea hit the second of two free throws to give Clarkson a two-point edge. The Highlanders turned the ball over without getting a shot off on their final possession and the Knights were able to pick up two more free throws from Devin Sorell for the final margin of victory.

Madison Shea and Devin Sorell each scored 15 points to lead the Knights, with Sorell making eight of her nine free throw attempts. Stewart finished with 13 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc and 5-for-9 overall, and Olivia Marshall chipped in 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Hannah Earl also recorded eight points and seven rebounds.

Houghton also had four players in double figures as Brittany Lenart and Amber Edwards each scored 12 points, while Hannah Cybart added 11 points and Cori Beck tossed in 10 points. Edwards shot 4-for-5 from the field and a flawless 4-for-4 from the line. Laurie Call also had a solid line with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.