Potsdam, NY – A strong presence on the offensive glass and steady interior play helped lift Skidmore College to an 81-72 Liberty League victory over the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights saw their conference mark evened at 2-2 and they fell to 9-4 overall on the season. Skidmore picked up a key road victory and moved to 10-3 and 4-1. Clarkson will continue its home stand when it takes on Union College and Rensselaer this weekend.

The Golden Knights came out hot in the first half, scoring 12 points in the first three and a half minutes for a quick nine-point lead. That advantage would extend to as many as 11 points midway through the half, but Skidmore wouldn’t allow the Knights to blow them out early. The Thoroughbreds went inside thanks to the penetrating drives of Gerard O’Shea, and eventually the 3-pointers started to fall. Clarkson led by eight points, 37-29, with 5:00 remaining, but Skidmore cut it to one point in just over a minute. With the Knights lead by four points with two minutes to go, the Clarkson offense fell flat with two turnovers and a desperation 3-pointer from Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) at the buzzer, while Skidmore ran off eight straight points on a pair of 3-pointers and a lay up to take its first lead of the game.

Clarkson shot 66.7 percent (16-for-24) from the field in the first half, but had just two offensive rebounds while committing nine turnovers. Skidmore also shot above 50 percent in the half, but had second chances with seven offensive rebounds, with several of those ending up as three-point plays. Skidmore also had just four turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY) led all scorers with 14 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field, and Llanos had 11 points. Clarkson’s forward were in foul trouble in the early going as John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) and Nate Uline (Gansevoort, NY) combined for five fouls in only 18 minutes. For Skidmore, O’Shea shot 4-for-5 with nine points and three assists. Melvis Langyintuo and Terron Victoria each added seven points.

In the opening moments of the second half, Clarkson’s hot shooting escaped them, as the Knights made just one of their first seven attempts from the field. The Knights were able to keep within striking distance thanks to Llanos slashing to the basket and receiving free throw attempts. Skidmore maintained an 8-to-12 point lead for much of the second half, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Felix Llanos pulled Clarkson back within five, 69-64, with 5:27 remaining. With the Thoroughbreds somewhat on their heels offensively, they went back to what worked for them by getting to the line on drives to the basket. After another 3-pointer from Jerry Coleman with a minute remaining, Skidmore was able to consistently beat Clarkson’s full court press with long passes that led to wide open lay ups, giving them a nine-point edge at the conclusion of the game.

Llanos finished with 26 points, pulling to within 13 points of 1,000 in his career. Coleman closed the game with 20 points, shooting 8-for-11 overall and 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. John Coleman also added 10 points, going 5-for-6 from the floor, and seven rebounds. Christian Collette (Yalesville, CT) went 4-for-5 from the floor for nine points.

For Skidmore, four players finished in double figures, led by Gerard O’Shea’s 14 points. Terron Victoria added 13 points, but shot just 5-for-17 from the floor. Melvin Langyintuo added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Connor Merrill played well as a reserve, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.