Clarkson University made 11 baskets from 3-point range and the Golden Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 73-56 non-conference win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Clarkson's Alumni Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Box Score
The Golden Knights (13-4 overall) won their eighth game in a row, six of which were played at home where they are 7-0 this season. Clarkson shot 73.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Hamilton (6-12) shot 49.1 percent from the floor but committed 27 turnovers that led to 36 points for the Golden Knights.
Sam Graber '16 paced the Continentals with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Graber has scored 20 or more points seven times this season. She's fourth in the NESCAC in scoring with 16.7 points per game and 11th with 7.4 rebounds per contest.
Carly Gruenberg '16 chipped in nine points and four steals, and Caroline Barrett '17 dropped in nine points off the bench for Hamilton. Kendall Rallins '19 made all four of her shot attempts and finished with eight points.
Ashley Loggins made 6 of 8 shots from long range and poured in 35 points for Clarkson. Loggins added 12 boards and eight steals. Devin Sorell drained 5 of 7 attempts from 3-point land and ended up with 18 points. Madison Shea handed out five assists. The Golden Knights grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and held a 37-29 advantage on the glass.
Graber put the Continentals up 39-38 on a layup with 6:57 left in the third quarter. Clarkson responded with a 12-4 run and led the rest of the way. Loggins kicked off the spurt with a 3-pointer but Hamilton's Rylie Mainville '18 tied the score for the third and final time at 41-41 with a basket in the paint.
Sorell gave the Golden Knights the lead for good on a jumper with 4:52 remaining in the third and Shea added an old-fashioned 3-point play. Barrett pulled the Continentals within 46-43 with a bucket but Loggins countered with a pair of free throws and a layup for a 50-43 cushion with 31 seconds to go in the quarter.
The final 10 seconds of the third quarter provided plenty of action. Barrett made a layup, was fouled and made the free throw to cut Hamilton's deficit to four at 50-46 with seven seconds left. Clarkson came back down and Loggins nailed a 3-pointer that beat the buzzer and made it 53-46 at the end of three.
The Golden Knights scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and took a commanding 62-46 lead with 6:09 remaining. The Continentals didn't get closer than 14 points the rest of the night.
Clarkson jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage but Hamilton roared back with nine straight points -- five of them scored by Graber -- and the Continentals didn't trail again until the third quarter. Hamilton held a 21-20 edge after one quarter and led 26-20 early in the second after five straight points by Gruenberg.
After the Golden Knights pulled within two points at 29-27, the Continentals grabbed their largest lead of the night of eight points on consecutive buckets by Graber, Halie Serbent '19 and Lauren Getman '18. Getman 's layup made it 35-27 with 1:55 to go. Clarkson cut the Hamilton lead to two points at the break thanks to a pair of baskets by Loggins from beyond the arc. The Continentals shot 55.2 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Hamilton travels to Middlebury College for a NESCAC game on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 3 p.m.
