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Twenty 3-pointers lead Clarkson men to 102-92 win over RPI

Posted 2/18/18

Potsdam, NY – All season long the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team lived and died by the 3-pointer, and in the 2017-18 season finale the Golden Knights buried 20 3-pointers in a 102-92 …

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Twenty 3-pointers lead Clarkson men to 102-92 win over RPI

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Potsdam, NY – All season long the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team lived and died by the 3-pointer, and in the 2017-18 season finale the Golden Knights buried 20 3-pointers in a 102-92 come-from-behind victory over Rensselaer.

The Golden Knights concluded their season with a record of 12-13 overall and 8-10 in the Liberty League, while Rensselaer was nudged out of the playoff picture, dropping to 13-12 and 8-10.

For most of the game, RPI was able to match Clarkson's effort from deep, but in overtime, the Golden Knights shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc en route to 22 points in the five-minute extra session. The two teams combined for 36 3-pointers, bettering the high-water mark of 30 that Hobart and Clarkson made in a game on January 19, 2018. Clarkson's 102 points were the second most points by any team in the Liberty League in 2017-18.

Neither team was having too much trouble on offense in the early going, combining for 12 makes on the first 19 shots of the game. Matthew Hornak was hot from the start, making five of his first six 3-point attempts in the opening nine minutes for 15 points, just one shy of his career high with more than 30 minutes remaining in the game. Late in the half, Andreas Kontopidis became a tough figure to stop for Clarkson, as the junior forward helped RPI go on an 8-2 run to gain a seven-point advantage with just four minutes left. The Engineers maintained that lead and extended it to nine when Asa Barnhill converted in the lane to push RPI to a 46-37 lead at the break.

The Engineers held on to a double-digit advantage for the first six-plus minutes of the second half, but Clarkson started creeping back in, highlighted by a Jason Phelps 3-pointer with 12:54 to go which pulled the Knights to within five. RPI kept its single-digit advantage for much of the second half, finally relenting when Matt Higgins buried a 3-pointer at the 3:34 mark to tie the game at 74. The Engineers reclaimed the lead shortly thereafter and were up by three when Marcus Giese scored in the paint with 54 seconds to go. Higgins buried another 3-pointer on Clarkson's next possession to knot the game up at 80-80. Rensselaer looked to get ahead when Kontopidis tried a baseline jumper in the waning seconds, but the junior attempt bounced long. On the defensive rebound the game almost had a shocking end as Keenan Gayle's three-quarters court heave clanged off the front of the rim.

In the overtime period, Hornak opened with a 3-pointer and was quickly followed by a 3-pointer from Higgins, who began an eight-point scoring barrage of his own. Higgins started with the 3-pointer at 3:42, then converted on a fastbreak layup following a Barryn Shark steal, and finished things off on Clarkson's next possession with another 3-pointer to put the Knights up by seven at the midway point of overtime. RPI closed the gap to just three with less than 90 seconds to go, but Hornak delivered another 3-pointer and the Knights cruised with free throws and a finishing layup from Gary Hanley on a long pass to beat the press.

Higgins came within two points of his career-high with 28, scoring 19 after the first half. Hornak delivered a career-high 24 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the 3-point line. Gary Hanley contributed a double-double thanks to 10 points and 12 rebounds and Barryn Shark found his teammates regularly with 12 assists. Higgins finished the season with 463 points, the second-highest total ever by a sophomore at Clarkson, trailing only the 495 by Russ Hall (1966-67).

For RPI, Tom Horvat recorded 27 points, going 9-for-16 from the field with six 3-pointers. Andreas Kontopidis had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Engineers' other three starters also finished in double figures, with Asa Barnhill and Mitchel Wayand each scoring 12 and Marcus Giese adding in 10 points.