POTSDAM, N.Y. – Powered by a strong fourth quarter effort, the Clarkson University women's basketball team edged Vassar College, 83-81 in Liberty League action on Friday afternoon. The Golden Knights move to 4-5 and are now 1-3 in league play, while the Brewers slip to 5-6 and 2-2 in the Liberty League.
Fourth quarter action brought all the drama as Clarkson rallied from a 64-56 deficit after three with a 27-16 scoring margin in the final period. The Golden Knights tied it at 74-all with 3:20 to play on a key three pointer from Raelin Burns. The Brewers answered as senior captain
Eliza Srinivasan dropped in a layup, but 5-0 run, which included back-to-back shots from Cassidy Dumont, saw the Knights take a 79-76 lead with just 52 seconds to play.
A pair of free throw makes from rookie
Sierra McDermed, coupled with a long trey from sophomore
Julia Harvey at the 26 second mark, turned the lead into an 81-all tie. Clarkson regained possession as Dumont went up for the shot, but the ball went back to the Brewers with 7.7 seconds to go. Harvey attempted another long shot from outside the arc, which didn't fall as the officials called Vassar for a foul on the far side.
That call sent Burns to the line for the Golden Knights with 1.5 seconds to go. Hitting both for the 83-81 lead, the Brewers threw the ball in on a long attempt, but a final attempt would not fall as time expired.
Clarkson, which went 5-of-9 from three point range in the fourth quarter, was paced by a game-high 24 points from Dumont as she added a game-best six assists with two steals. Elaina Porter added 21 points with seven boards, an assist and a steal, while Mariah Benavides had 14 points with two caroms and four assists to go along with a game-high three steals.
The Brewers were led by a career-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor from rookie
Caroline Siekman, who also had seven rebounds. Classmate
Bella Tawney added a career-high 15 points and a game-best eight boards, while first year
Sierra McDermed had nine points with a board, two assists and two steals. Srinivasan finished with six points, four boards, a steal and a game-high six assists.
Vassar returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Canton for a 2pm match against St. Lawrence University.
