PALMER FUELS SAINTS’ 70-48 VICTORY OVER CLARKSON

Jan. 22: Junior Forward Katie Palmer scored 15 crucial points in the second half to help drive the St. Lawrence women’s basketball team over neighboring rival and Liberty League opponent Clarkson Tuesday night, as the Saints were able to improve on a two-point lead at halftime to a 70-48 win over the Golden Knights in Burkman Gymnasium.

At one point it looked as if St. Lawrence was going to be able to contain Clarkson and end the half with a decisive lead, but the Golden Knights weren’t about to let that happen, as they continued to cash in on Saint turnover opportunities and missed shots, closing what was once an 11-point St. Lawrence lead earlier in the first half to only two at the end, finishing with a three-point shot from Golden Knight Michelle Reddinger to bring the score to 29-27 in favor of the Saints as the buzzer sounded.

Despite turning the ball over 20 times in the first half, Clarkson scored 15 points off only nine Saints’ turnovers to help push them closer to the lead on the scoreboard. The Golden Knights were 50-percent from the field and were able to put pressure on the Scarlet and Brown to only shoot 33-percent in the first 20 minutes of play.

An excited Clarkson squad came onto the court following halftime and tied the game 53 seconds into the period and was able to keep St. Lawrence scoreless for the first 4:52 of the half before senior co-captain Jamie Wolff (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) made a three to get the ball rolling for the Saints, pushing them out ahead of the Golden Knights, 33-29. Clarkson was able to keep it a two-possession game until the home team lit up the court with an 11-0 run that included two lay-ups and a free-throw by Palmer (Bourne, MA/Falmouth Academy), another long shot from Wolff, and a three from sophomore Brittany Parham (Fort Drum, NY/Indian River Central), to give them a 47-33 advantage with 9:39 to go.

It was this impressive offensive effort that energized the Saints to push past their North Country rival, as St. Lawrence went on to seal the victory by only allowing a total of 21 points by their opposition in the last 20 minutes to walk away with a 70-48 win, their eleventh consecutive win and their third conference win.

In addition to Palmer, sophomore Parham posted a career-high 11 points in only 13 minutes on the court, shooting 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-5 from the field. Eight of her points came in the second half.

Wolff also tallied 10 points, two rebounds, three assists, and five steals.

The Saints, now 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League, will go on to face conference opponents Rensselaer and Vassar this weekend at home before hitting the road for Liberty League play. Friday’s tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm, while Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2:00pm.