Schenectady, NY – On the wrong end of a big run in the first half, the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team found itself fighting from behind for most of Friday night's contest against Union College, as the Golden Knights fell 89-75 in Liberty League action against the Dutchmen.

The Golden Knights dropped to 9-15 overall and 6-11 in conference games, while Union edged up to 6-18 and 5-12. Clarkson will close out its 2022-23 season on Saturday against Skidmore College.

Following a Blake Gearhart 3-pointer for Clarkson at the 16:09 mark, Union went on an 11-1 run in less than two minutes and a 31-8 run in a stretch of just over 10 minutes to take a significant lead in the first half. Edward Baptiste made a shot at the 3:31 mark for the Dutchmen that put the gap at 25 points (42-17). Clarkson found its offense in the final three-plus minutes of the half, though, ending the first period on a 14-0 run. Ryan Miles-Ferguson hit a pair of 3-pointers and was followed by long-range shots from Malachi Harris and Matteo Sinon for four quick makes from beyond the arc, and Miles-Ferguson ended the half with a layup to put the score at 42-31.

Clarkson got to within 10 when Sinon made a pair of free throws at 17:41 in the second half, but the Knights could never reduce the gap to less than double digits for the rest of the game. The margin remained in the teens for most of the half, though a Blake Gearhart basket with just over six minutes to go pulled the Knights within 11 for a brief moment. Clarkson lacked a big offensive burst down the stretch and ended up down by 14 at the buzzer.

Gearhart finished with a team-best 18 points while also finding his teammates for six assists. Ryan Miles-Ferguson tossed in 17 points and Matteo Sinon finished with 14 points.

Brian Noone led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 9-for-12 from the field for the Dutchmen. Mike Manley, Luke McGarrity, and Edward Baptiste each chipped in 15 points, and all three players shot better than 50% from the floor. The Dutchmen shot uncharacteristically well from beyond the 3-point arc, going 11-for-20 (55.0%). Prior to Friday night's game, Union had only six games above 40% from the arc, and the 11 makes were a season-high for the Dutchmen.