Potsdam, NY – A 19-3 run over the final four minutes of the first half turned a close contest into a significant deficit at the break and the Clarkson University Men's Basketball could never recover, falling 86-62 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The loss saw the Golden Knights slip out of the top six in the Liberty League standings, dropping to 11-12 overall and 7-9 in conference games, while Ithaca edged forward to 14-9 and 11-5. Clarkson will need at least one win and some help to get back into the final playoff spot next weekend.

Things started off fine for the Knights, leading on the opening possession with a 3-pointer from Matthew Parent, though Ithaca did immediately tie the game and went ahead. A layup at 12:44 from Braeden Burns put Clarkson back up by two, but the two teams spent the next few minutes exchanging makes to keep the game tied. Eventually a Thomas McKiernan 3-pointer gave the Bombers a six-point advantage with just under eight minutes to go. Finn Cork had a layup and later a free throw to narrow the deficit to three. A seemingly harmless free throw from Logan Wendell at 3:55 began Ithaca's sprint at the end of the half, as the Bombers scored 19 points until the buzzer, capped by a Cole Wissink 3-pointer from the corner.

Ithaca did not slow down at the start of the second half, pulling out to a 24-point advantage just four minutes into the half, and five minutes later the lead had expanded to as many as 26. Clarkson began to chip away, countering with a 13-2 run, and the Knights were down by only 14 following Matteo Sinon's 3-pointer with 4:28 to go. Unfortunately for Clarkson, that was the last gasp in the comeback, as Ithaca went on an 8-0 rush to return the lead back to the low 20s.

Ithaca finished with an extra three 3-pointers compared to the Knights, but the biggest differential came from the free throw line for the second straight game. The Bombers went 17-for-18 from the line, while Clarkson was just 4-for-8 from the stripe.

Braeden Burns finished with 13 points, Parent ended up with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the arc, while Jack Dalgety and Finn Cork each scored 10. For Ithaca, Logan Wendell had a game-high 16 points, Evan Cabral scored 14, and Wissink finished with 13.