Potsdam, NY – A quiet fourth quarter from the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team saw a five-point lead through 30 minutes turn into a 12-point loss as the Golden Knights dropped a 56-44 decision to Union College on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights fell to 7-15 overall and 4-11 in the Liberty League while Union improved to 14-7 and 9-6. Clarkson hits the road for its final three games, beginning with a rescheduled contest against RIT on Tuesday.

Following a put back by Maddie Pratt to close out the third quarter, Clarkson went scoreless for the first eight-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, finally getting on the board when Hannah Earl converted a layup and free throw at the 1:46 mark. Those were the only points of the quarter for the Knights as Union ended the game with a 20-3 advantage in the final 10 minutes.

In the first meeting against the Dutchwomen, Clarkson scored just 40 points overall and surpassed 10 points in a quarter only once, but the Knights shot well in the first half against Union on Saturday. Clarkson jumped out to a six-point lead in the first four minutes and was up by that margin at the 4:17 mark when Kati Gotch hit a jumper to give the Green and Gold a 12-6 advantage. The Knights were silenced for the remainder of the quarter, however, as Union pulled back to within a point at the end of 10 minutes.

That momentum continued in the first two minutes of the second quarter for Union as the Dutchwomen pushed their lead to three (17-14) on two free throws from Nicole Conley at 8:22. Clarkson responded with 12 unanswered points over the next four minutes, including two 3-pointers from Molly Stewart to cap the rally (26-17). Though Union reduced the deficit to five, Clarkson went into the locker room with a seven-point advantage.

Clarkson shot 12-for-28 from the field (42.9%) in the first half, while the Dutchwomen struggled to go only 8-for-29 (27.6%). Union also was scoreless from beyond the arc on five tries, while the Knights converted four deep shots on 11 tries.

Opening up the third, Union went on a 10-2 run to take a brief lead, but Clarkson quickly fought back with two straight baskets from Molly Stewart. Maddie Pratt then scored two straight as well as the Knights ended the third with an 8-0 run.

That was it for Clarkson, though, as Union quickly recovered to regain the lead on a 3-pointer from Corina Lindsay at 6:19. The Dutchwomen continued to score while Clarkson struggled, ending the game on a 13-3 run for the final six minutes. Clarkson shot just 1-for-14 in the fourth quarter.

Molly Stewart finished with a game-high 18 points and also added in 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Hannah Earl nearly produced a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds for the Knights.

For Union, Nicole Conley scored 14 points, shooting 8-for-8 from the free throw line, and added in seven rebounds. Sophie Borg chipped in 10 points while Elly Vaughan and Joana Santos each grabbed 10 rebounds.