2008 Woodie Awards
Monarchs boot CU
96-66 loss eliminates Clarkson from NCAA's
Clarkson Athletics
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Sports
At this point in the long basketball season, teams can take little solace in learning experiences, while the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team suffered a 96-66 loss to King's College in its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Golden Knights were exposed to a different type of post-season basketball, and they are prepared to make this year's participation in March Madness a more regular occurrence.
With their first-round loss in the NCAAs, the Golden Knights finished the season 11-17 overall. King's moves on to play at Plattsburgh State in the second round, improving to 20-8 on the season.
Clarkson came out flat in the first half of it's first-ever NCAA contest, struggling to gain any kind of offensive flow. Meanwhile, the Monarchs were showing why they had won the Freedom Conference for the second straight season, going inside to their bulky forward John Soboleski. His soft touch around the rim and instinctual passing to the wings for open looks helped King's jump out to a double-digit advantage in the opening minutes of the contest.
While the Monarchs were clicking on offense, Clarkson scuffled on both ends of the floor, allowing fast break opportunities to King's because of the long rebounds off their three-point attempts with which the Knights were trying to use to climb back into the contest. Unfortunately, the strategy didn't work, as the three-point attempts simply would not fall, and the Monarchs finished the half with a 22-13 edge in rebounds.
Clarkson shot just 25.8 percent (eight for thirty-one) from the floor in the first half, and made just two of its ten three-point field goal attempts. King's offense went the other way, as the Monarchs shot an other-worldly 65.4 percent (17-for-26) from the field, the highest percentage yielded by the Knights' defense all season, including six three-pointers. The Monarchs' forty-seven points were also the second most allowed by Clarkson all season, falling just a field goal short of the forty-nine given up against RIT in November.
With their first-round loss in the NCAAs, the Golden Knights finished the season 11-17 overall. King's moves on to play at Plattsburgh State in the second round, improving to 20-8 on the season.
Clarkson came out flat in the first half of it's first-ever NCAA contest, struggling to gain any kind of offensive flow. Meanwhile, the Monarchs were showing why they had won the Freedom Conference for the second straight season, going inside to their bulky forward John Soboleski. His soft touch around the rim and instinctual passing to the wings for open looks helped King's jump out to a double-digit advantage in the opening minutes of the contest.
While the Monarchs were clicking on offense, Clarkson scuffled on both ends of the floor, allowing fast break opportunities to King's because of the long rebounds off their three-point attempts with which the Knights were trying to use to climb back into the contest. Unfortunately, the strategy didn't work, as the three-point attempts simply would not fall, and the Monarchs finished the half with a 22-13 edge in rebounds.
Clarkson shot just 25.8 percent (eight for thirty-one) from the floor in the first half, and made just two of its ten three-point field goal attempts. King's offense went the other way, as the Monarchs shot an other-worldly 65.4 percent (17-for-26) from the field, the highest percentage yielded by the Knights' defense all season, including six three-pointers. The Monarchs' forty-seven points were also the second most allowed by Clarkson all season, falling just a field goal short of the forty-nine given up against RIT in November.
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