Troy, NY – Allowing too many second-chance opportunities on the glass, the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team was unable to hold off Rensselaer in Liberty League action, as the Golden Knights fell 73-65 in conference action against one of the Liberty League leaders Friday night.
The Golden Knights fell to 4-15 overall and 1-8 in conference games and will look to pick up their second league win on Saturday at Vassar. Rensselaer moved closer to a playoff spot with the win, moving to 12-7 overall and 7-1 in league games.
The Knights opened the contest with an early four-point edge thanks to senior forward Michelle Reddinger (Baldwinsville, NY), who scored six points in the first five minutes. Rensselaer came back to take the lead and the two teams jostled back and forth for the a few moments before Clarkson was able to build an eight-point advantage thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Morgan Carella (Roslyn Heights, NY). Clarkson held a six-point lead at the half thanks to a solid shooting performance, going 12-for-25 (48.0%) from the floor, while the Engineers struggled at 11-for-37 (29.7%).
Clarkson enjoyed a well-rounded scoring attack as four different players scored at least seven points in the first 20 minutes, led by Carella with nine points on a trio of 3-pointers. Whitney Coleman, the conference’s leading scorer, had 12 points and 4 rebounds to lead Rensselaer.
In the second half, the Engineers trailed by five points with 17 minutes remaining, but went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to build a modest four-point advantage. From there, the two teams traded baskets and saw the game evened up at 45-45 with approximately 12 minutes to go. The Engineers used another mini-run to build a seven-point lead, but could not put the Knights away easily as Carey Turner (Clifton Park, NY) and Lauren Pluchino (Liverpool, NY) kept Clarkson in the game with shots from outside the 3-point arc.
The Engineers extended their lead to as many as 10 points on a pair of occasions late in the second half, but Clarkson continued to fight back with numerous free throws. Down by 10 again in the final minutes, Turner completed a 3-point play to maintain hope for the Knights, but the Engineers were able to close out the game at the free throw line.
Rensselaer won the battle inside with 47 rebounds compared to just 31 by Clarkson. More importantly, the Engineers had 28 offensive rebounds against Clarkson's seven, allowing for a 75-44 edge in field goal attempts
Sophomore Carey Turner scored a team-high 23 points for the Knights, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Pluchino added 15 points while Reddinger had 10 points and six rebounds.
Coleman led the Engineers with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks. Allison Connor chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds for Rensselaer.
