Saints Handle Golden Knights, 72-60

by: 

Tara Freeman

Sophomore Iris Santoni earned a team-high 19 points against Clarkson Tuesday.

Feb. 2:  The St. Lawrence University women's basketball team shot over 50 % from the floor and the arc in the decisive first half Tuesday, to defeat North Country rival Clarkson University, 72-60 in the Burkman Gymnasium.

The Saints improve to a 12-6 (4-4) overall record, while the Golden Knights fall to a 4-14 (1-7) mark.

Sophomore Iris Santoni led the Scarlet and Brown with 19 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, trailed closely by classmate Casey Capello who earned 13 points off 5-of-13 shooting.  Junior captain Abby Stanton rounded out the top three scorers with 11 points and also picked up a game-high nine rebounds.  Senior captain Brittany Parham and Santoni posted a game-high four assists, while Parham and sophomore Katherine Edgerton totaled game-highs as well, with three steals a piece.  Clarkson's Lauren Pluchino earned a game-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor, while teammate Michelle Reddinger racked up a team-high seven rebounds.

The Saints kicked off the first half strong, moving out on an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of the frame.  The Golden Knights were able to cut the deficit to three roughly a minute later when Pluchino sunk a shot from beyond the arc.  However, this three-point margin was the closest Clarkson came to surpassing St. Lawrence before the Saints secured the lead for the remaining 35 minutes.  With 8:12 on the clock, Santoni nailed an easy jump shot to give her team their largest lead of the half with a score of, 29-7.  Pluchino then hit a jumper, while Noelle Miller chipped one off the glass to post four for the Golden Knights, but the Saints were able to hold Clarkson at eleven points for the next two minutes.  The Golden Knights worked their way back to within 18 points of the Saints, but it wasn't enough to erase the deficit.  Santoni hit a solid layup paired with an easy free-throw from Capello to make the score, 43-24 at the end of the decisive first half.  St. Lawrence racked up 27 points off turnovers, compared to Clarkson's two and posted 20 points in the paint, while the Golden Knights earned eight.

The Saints continued to maintain their offensive pressure into the second half, and played particularly strong defense.  However, the Golden Knights managed to find the basket better in the closing minutes, shooting 50% from the floor.  With nearly five minutes gone, Clarkson began to chip away at the lead, working their way back to within 15 points of St. Lawrence as Reddinger sunk one from the charity stripe.  However, the Saints were able to increase their advantage to 20 points, their largest lead of the second stanza, as Edgerton sunk back-to-back free-throws with just over 11 minutes left in regulation.  Clarkson looked like they were in striking distance when they cut the deficit to 11 as Morgan Carella tipped one in from underneath with a minute on the clock.  However, first-year Amber Rodgers and Stanton were solid from the free-throw line, securing the 12 point lead for the Saints with a score of 72-60.

St. Lawrence racked up 37 points off turnovers, while Clarkson earned 13 and the Saints proved the depth of their team by tallying 18 bench points.

The Saints head on the road this weekend to take on Vassar College, Friday, February 5^th in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm.