WOPPERER’S LAST SECOND SHOT KEEPS SAINTS ATOP CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Feb. 5: Junior co-captain Tom Wopperer made a 12-foot jumper from the corner with just 2.9 seconds left on the clock to lift the St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team to a 57-56 victory over Liberty League opponent Clarkson UniversityTuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium in Potsdam, NY.

 

Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) was the only Saint to score in the double digits against a strong and relentless Golden Knight squad, as he tallied 16 points and was impressive from every angle on the court.

 

With the win, the Saints, now 12-7 overall and 7-1 in the conference, remain in first place in the Liberty League, while Clarkson falls from second to fourth.

The first half of the contest was back-and-forth as neither team ever saw a lead of more than four points throughout the first 20 minutes. The crowd of North Country fans witnessed six lead changes and five ties, including a lay-up by sophomore Andy Hoercher(Auburn, NY/Hotchkiss) that came off a steal by junior co-captain Richard Williams (Kingston, NY/Kingston), which tied the game 28-28 with no time left on the clock as both teams left the court for halftime.

 

The game was up for grabs in the last twenty minutes, as neither team was able to really take control of the Liberty League showdown. The Saints came out ahead in the first half of the period and earned as much as a six-point lead (17:13) before the Golden Knights would come back and do the same (4:48). Those who predicted an evenly-matched contest were not surprised as the final five minutes of the game brought the crowd to its feet on many occasions, as St. Lawrence went on a 6-0 run to tie it 51-51 with 2:59 remaining.

 

The Scarlet and Brown were able to use the height of some of their players to their advantage as they were able to grab crucial rebounds that allowed them more time with the ball. The final 2:07 included five lead changes and was topped off with Wopperer’s jumper, and despite a last-moment effort on Clarkson’s part to make a shot from the field at the buzzer which proved unsuccessful, the Saints walked off the court with a 57-56 victory.

 

The Saints out-rebounded the Golden Knights 40-31 with the help of Williams, who grabbed 10 for St. Lawrence. Senior Tyler Wright ( Teaneck, NJ/Paramus Catholic) had nine rebounds, including a game high six offensive rebounds.