Potsdam, NY – Sophomore forwards Jonathan Hood (Cortlandt Manor, NY) and George Koduah (Accra, Ghana) each produced a double-double to help the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team to an 81-74 victory over Oswego State Thursday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights finished the non-conference schedule with a 9-2 mark and will start Liberty League play next weekend at Union and Skidmore. Oswego, which came into the game averaging over 90 points a game, fell to 5-4 in being held to a season-low 74 points.
The first half was played at a frenetic pace as neither team was shy about taking quick shots from the perimeter or on driving lay ups on the break. The two teams kept it close until Clarkson used a 13-4 run midway through the half to take a 37-27 lead with just under six minutes to go. Oswego came back slightly to pull within four, and then used a 10-4 run in the final two minutes to put its deficit at just a single point, 45-44.
Rey Jefferson (Budd Lake, NJ) made all four of his shots, including a trio of 3-pointers from the corner to lead the Knights with 11 points. Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) contributed 10 points in just eight minutes off the bench, missing only a single shot among his five attempts. Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) also added in nine points and three assists for Clarkson.
Tommy Downing nearly matched his season average (18.5 ppg) in the first half with 17 points in 17 minutes to lead Oswego. Stanley Francois also was solid with nine points and six rebounds.
In the second half, both teams went back and forth with field goals and free throws. It wasn’t until midway through the period that Oswego went on a 7-0 run to take a six-point advantage with just eight minutes to go. Clarkson took a timeout and responded with a 9-0 run just a few moments later, and then continued to push with a conglomerate 21-8 run to hold off the Lakers in the last eight minutes.
Linton finished with 18 points and Pickering had 16 points. Jonathan Hood had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, a feat which George Koduah replicated for the second straight games. Jefferson finished with 11 points.
Downing had a game-high 23 points, Francois came through with an impressive double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Conor Monaghan added 11 points for Oswego.
