SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Freshman forward Kyle Grimm blocked a shot with 10 seconds left to preserve Union’s one point lead and guards, junior Chris Murphy and sophomore Joe Mackey each connected on a pair of free throws as the Dutchmen defeated Clarkson, 67-62, in the Liberty League regular-season finale at the Viniar Athletic Center.
The victory earned Union the fourth seed in next weekend’s league championship tournament. The Dutchmen, 8-6 in the circuit and 14-11 overall, will play top-seeded Hobart, which won the regular-season title with its 10-4 record. The other semi-final game features No. 2 Hamilton against No. 3 Skidmore in a battle of 9-5 teams.
Brandon Rigg-Reives drilled a three-point basket with 54 seconds left to pull the Golden Knights to within one, 63-62, and Clarkson’s press defense forced a Union turnover with 35 seconds showing. Grimm knocked down Jon Youngmann’s layup attempt with Murphy, the shortest player on the court, picking off the rebound. He was immediately fouled and promptly gave the Dutchmen a 65-62 lead by hitting both of his free throws with eight seconds showing. Clarkson missed a three-point attempt with two seconds remaining with Mackey pulling down the rebound. He was also quickly fouled before making both charity shots to ensure the victory.
A jumper and follow-up free throw by junior guard John Cagianello gave the Dutchmen a 63-54 advantage with 2:45 left to play. Russ Vitallo canned a layup before Youngmann scored and then came back a minute later to sink one of two free throws with 1:27 left to pull the Knights back to within 63-59. Rigg-Reives’ three-pointer with 54 seconds left had the Knights, who finished at 3-11 in the league and 7-18 overall, on the verge of an upset that would have kept the Dutchmen out of the playoff party.
Mackey led the Dutchmen with 17 points while senior forward Devon Bruce added 16 markers and a team-high eight rebounds.
Russ Vitallo led the Knights with 23 markers with Chet Truskowski adding a dozen points.
UNION COLLEGE DUTCHMEN 67, CLARKSON UNIVERSITY 62 CLARKSON UNIVERSITY (7-18//3-11) Russ Vitallo 8-19 7-7 23; Chet Truskowski 4-6 0-0 12; Jon Youngmann 3-5 3-4 9; Kamal Crues 2-3 1-3 5; Henry Hennep 1-3 2-2 4; Brandon Rigg-Reives 1-5 1-2 4; Erick Vigansky 1-2 0-0 3; Kevin Bolduc 1-3 0-0 2; Adam Larkin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-47 14-18 62. UNION COLLEGE DUTCHMEN (14-11/8-6) Joe Mackey 5-8 4-4 17; Devon Bruce 7-9 0-0 16; Chris Murphy 3-6 2-2 9; Brian Scordato 3-9 0-0 7; T.J. Ramey 2-3 0-0 6; John Cagianello 2-5 2-4 6; Kyle Grimm 2-5 0-0 4; Jordan Schur 1-1 0-0 2; Robert Futia 0-1 0-0 0; James Rahill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-48 8-10 67. Clarkson University........... 33 29 - 62 Union College Dutchmen........ 38 29 - 67 3-point goals-Clarkson University 6-17 (Chet Truskowski 4-6; Brandon Rigg-Reives 1-4; Erick Vigansky 1-2; Henry Hennep 0-1; Adam Larkin 0-1; Russ Vitallo 0-3), Union College Dutchmen 9-22 (Joe Mackey 3-6; Devon Bruce 2-3; T.J. Ramey 2-2; Brian Scordato 1-4; Chris Murphy 1-3; Robert Futia 0-1; James Rahill 0-1; John Cagianello 0-2). Fouled out--Clarkson University-None, Union College Dutchmen-None. Rebounds-Clarkson University 25 (Jon Youngmann 6), Union College Dutchmen 28 (Devon Bruce 8). Assists-Clarkson University 12 (Matt Decker 3; Jon Youngmann 3), Union College Dutchmen 18 (John Cagianello 3; Devon Bruce 3; Kyle Grimm 3; Chris Murphy 3). Total fouls-Clarkson University 14, Union College Dutchmen 15.