Troy, NY – A rough second quarter put the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team in a big hole at the half, and the Golden Knights' second-half rally would come up short in a 59-45 defeat at Rensselaer on Friday evening.

The Golden Knights fell to 5-6 overall and 1-4 in Liberty League games, while the Engineers edged up to 7-6 and 4-2. Clarkson will take on first-place Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon.

Clarkson opened the game with a five-point run and kept RPI scoreless for close to five minutes, but when the Engineers finally got on the scoreboard, the team tallied nine straight to take the lead. A last second layup from Mariah Benavides put the score at 13-10 in favor of RPI after the opening period. However, the Golden Knights struggled mightily in the second quarter, going 0-for-12 from the field with seven turnovers, scoring only on a pair of free throws. The Engineers took advantage, though they too had issues with six turnovers, but shot 8-for-16 for a 17-point effort in the period, allowing the home team to turn a narrow lead into an 18-point edge at the half.  

The Golden Knights recovered in the third quarter, scoring more in the period than they had in the entire first half. The Knights did fall behind by as many as 21, but close out the quarter down by just 14 when Raelin Burns hit a 3-pointer in the final minute. Early in the fourth, it appeared as if Clarkson might be on another one of its comebacks, as the team scored the first seven points of the period to cut the margin to just seven (43-36) with eight minutes to go, but the Engineers stopped the run and held on for a double-digit victory.

Freshman Bella Doyle recorded her second straight double-double, producing 15 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots and three steals. Elaina Porter also tossed in 12 points and five rebounds while Raelin Burns produced 10 points.

For the Engineers, Brielle Sharry and Nicole DaPra each scored 12 points, with DaPra also controlling the boards with 17 rebounds. Heather Converse was just short of her own double-double with eight points and 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.