Potsdam, NY – Eleven 3-point field goals, including seven in the first half, helped the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team cruise to a 70-52 non-league victory over SUNY Canton Tuesday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights improved to 6-15 overall on the season with their second consecutive win, while SUNY Canton dropped to 8-10 on the season. Clarkson returns to Liberty League action this weekend when the team travels to William Smith and Hamilton.
The two teams started off cold from the field in the early going, but the Knights found their shooting stroke from the perimeter and took advantage with a flurry of long-range shots. Clarkson made seven shots from beyond the 3-point arc and enjoyed the run, taking more than half of their first-half shots from outside. Canton was unable to defend just one shooter, as four different players made perimeter shots, led by freshman Stacey Garcia (St. Albans, NY), who buried four of her six attempts for a team-high 12 points.
The 3-pointers continued to fly at the start of the second half as well, as Sierra Noles (Averill Park, NY) and Katie Goldberg (Stowe, VT) each knocked down shots from outside to extend Clarkson’s lead to 20-plus points. It wasn’t until late that Canton climbed back into the contest as Emily Bush made a pair of 3-pointers late to help the Kangaroos get back to within 12 points with three minutes to go. However, the shooters for Canton went cold and the Knights went to the block for several lay ups to finish with an 18-point advantage.
Garcia finished with a game-high 12 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Casey Laush (Jericho, VT) finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds, including six offensive boards, and Goldberg scored 10 points. Junior Sierra Noles also tossed in 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists and Morgan Carella (Roslyn Heights, NY) contributed 8 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Shannon LaFave led Canton with 14 points and 5 rebounds while Julie Vanderwiel added 10 points and 5 rebounds. Clarkson finished with a 46-37 edge in rebounds and enjoyed plenty of second-chance opportunities with 20 offensive boards.
