Potsdam, NY – Six consecutive made free throws in the final minute of overtime by three different players pushed Rensselaer to a 53-47 Liberty League win over the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights return to action next weekend when they visit William Smith and Hamilton.
Unable to put together a solid performance from the free throw line all game, the Red Hawks made eight of their 10 free throw attempts in overtime to hold off the Golden Knights. In the first half, the Red Hawks went just 3-for-11 from the line and in the second half they improved slightly to 11-for-23.
Both teams struggled to score from the floor in the first half as Rensselaer shot just 8-for-30 from the field and the Golden Knights were not much better, shooting 9-for-30. In the second half, the struggles from the floor continued as the two teams combined to make only eight field goals, but Clarkson maintained the lead throughout the half thanks to their free throw shooting, despite a 13-minute field goal drought. The Knights were able to hold the lead until the 0:35 mark when the Red Hawks were finally able to take advantage of their numerous opportunities from the free throw line. Rensselaer made three of four attempts in a five second span to tie the game 39-39. The Golden Knights took the lead back when Ashley Janisewski (Chateaugay, NY) made two free throws with just 14 seconds left to give the Knights a two-point advantage, but Kristi Baranowski had a lay up roll in with 4.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Rensselaer finished 15-for-55 from the floor and Clarkson made 14 of their 49 field goal attempts. The Red Hawks finished the game shooting 50 percent from the free throw line at 22-for-44, while the Knights made the most of their opportunities, making 17 of 22 attempts.
Sarah Wesner (Waverly, NY) led the Golden Knights with 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting and sophomore Erika Fritjofson (East Barre, VT) added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Kaitlyn Saunders scored 16 points and added nine steals to lead Rensselaer, but struggled mightily from the free throw line, shooting just 3-for-17. Baranowski recorded a double-double for the Red Hawks with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
