Schenectady, NY – Freshman Emma Buonanno snagged a rebound on the final possession of the game to help the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team hang on for a 47-44 Liberty League victory over Union College on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights improved to 9-13 overall and 4-11 in the Liberty League, but were officially eliminated from the playoffs due to a William Smith victory. Likewise, Union was knocked out of the playoff picture, dropping to 7-15 overall and 4-12 in conference games. Clarkson plays three games next week, facing St. Lawrence in Canton on Tuesday and then returning home for games against Skidmore and Rensselaer.

A second-half run that saw the Golden Knights hold Union to just a single field goal in a stretch of more than 11 minutes put the Green and Gold into a position to hold off the Dutchwomen's late charge. Union finished the game on a 7-2 run in the final three minutes, but Jenni Barra's 3-pointer attempt with less than five seconds to go didn't find the mark, allowing the Knights to escape with the win.

Clarkson never trailed in the contest, opening the game with a 3-pointer from Devin Sorell just 17 seconds in. Though Union was within two after free throws from Becca Shamah at the end of the first period, the Knights would quickly extend their lead at the start of the second when Molly Stewart buried a 3-pointer at the 9:08 mark. Both teams would go scoreless for the next five minutes until Buonanno hit a jumper and Clarkson found itself up by nine when Sorell hit another 3-pointer with just a little over a minute to go in the half.

At the start of the third quarter, Union rallied to tie the game at 27-27 thanks to Jenni Barra's layup and free throw after a foul, but it would be nearly seven more minutes before the Dutchwomen would score again as Clarkson scored eight straight points. A basket with 16 seconds left in the quarter for Union was but a brief reprieve for the team's struggling offense, as Clarkson methodically built its lead to as many as 13 points when Devin Sorell hit a fastbreak layup with 6:02 to go (42-29). Barra hit a 3-pointer with 5:29 to go to trim the margin to 10 points, but a few minutes later when Madison Shea made a 3-pointer, Clarkson was up by eight with just three minutes remaining. Union chipped away at the deficit, but its last effort came up short.

Sorell finished with a team-best 17 points while Molly Stewart and Raeanna Dunn added nine points apiece. Madison Shea also contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. For Union, Barra scored 18 points, going 5-for-11 from the 3-point arc, and Joana Santos came up a basket short of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.