Unfortunately, the Red Hawks’ magic ran out on them Saturday as they were unable to overcome a five-point margin halftime margin against Clarkson, losing to the first place Golden Knights 67-58 in Robison gymnasium.

The Red Hawks’ second contest this year with the Saints was the complete opposite of the teams’ first meeting. The first match-up between the two UCAA opponents saw Rensselaer dominate from the start as the Red Hawks grabbed a commanding lead and never allowed the Saints into the game.

However, in Friday’s competition, the Saints were the ones who jumped out ahead early. St. Lawrence got out to a 15-6 lead leaving RPI reeling. The Saints were scorching the nets early and their intense defensive pressure forced RPI out of their comfort zone.

Rensselaer quickly regained its composure, hit some shots, and closed the gap to four by halftime. Both teams shot a just above 42 percent in the first half.

“This game was extremely different from out first match-up,” Head Coach Mike Griffin said. “They played very aggressive man-to-man defense, jumped out on screens, and really took us out of our half-court offense.”

The second half saw both teams battle to gain control of the game, and it was not until Jared Hite hit a tough shot near the basket that gave Rensselaer the lead for good, 54-53.

St. Lawrence continued to try and stay in the game, but Kori Massey’s three-pointer with 20 seconds left gave Rensselaer all the cushion they would need to secure the win.

“We hit some shots in the second half and shut down [Aaron] Marshall and [Ahmad] Toussaint, which is what you have to do to beat St. Lawrence,” Griffin said. “We really needed to win on Friday to at least have a chance to tie Clarkson for first on Saturday.”

RPI held Marshall and Toussaint to a combined 15 points, while Massey, Hite, Paris Moore, and John Van Schaick were all in double figures for the Red Hawks.

Friday’s win set the stage for a huge match-up between the UCAA’s top two teams. Clarkson, 7-1 in conference play, led the second place 6-2 Red Hawks by just one game.

This game would be a crucial tie-breaker if Rensselaer and Clarkson end up tied for first place at the end of the regular season.

Rensselaer, realizing their chances at first place, the regular season title, and a chance to host the UCAA tournament were at stake, came out fired up in front of a capacity crowd at Robison Gymnasium.

RPI sprinted out of the gate, quickly grabbing a 20-10 lead thanks in large part to Van Schaick’s three three-point field goals.

Clarkson, however, answered with several three-pointers of their own as the Golden Knights began an onslaught of long-range bombs that would last the rest of the game. Clarkson went on a 19-5 run to end the half and took a 31-26 lead into the halftime.

Rensselaer would need yet another second half comeback to take possession of the top spot in the UCAA.

Unfortunately, the Red Hawk heroics never came, mostly due to superb shooting and solid defense from the Golden Knights. Clarkson shot 50 percent from the field and an amazing 41 percent from beyond the arc in the game as Clarkson held on for the nine-point win.

“Clarkson shot well, hit the glass hard, and got a lot of penetration against our defense,” Griffin said. “But you have to give Clarkson credit; they came down here on the road and beat us.”

Rensselaer shot themselves in the foot by missing a number of makeable field goals, committing a number of costly turnovers, and allowing Clarkson to get inside against RPI’s 3-2 zone.

“Turnovers hurt us and they got way too much penetration against our zone,” Griffin said. “We also rushed things offensively; we have to have patience so they have to defend.”

Clarkson’s Josh Harner and Nick Jones were clutch down the stretch for the Golden Knights. Harner had 19 points while Jones had 13, seven of which came in the final five minutes of play.

“Jones will be a future UCAA Player of the Year candidate,” Griffin said. “He made some great shots late, only big time players can make those shots.”

RPI’s Van Schaick, who prior to the game predicted he would have a big performance, led all scorers with 20 points on six three-point field goals while Hite posted a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds.

“John has become a much better all-around player this year,” Griffin said. “He normally plays well in February and when he hits some shots, it really stretches the opposing defense, which opens up our offense.”

With Clarkson all but securing first place in the UCAA, Rensselaer now has to now refocus on simply making the UCAA playoffs and what they must do in order to beat Clarkson and other UCAA opponents on the road.

“We have a whole week of practice to get better, and we must improve,” Griffin said. “We need to work on our offensive patience against the man-to-man defense, especially when teams jump out on our screens, and to play harder defense.”

RPI will need to win at least three of its last five conference games in order to secure a spot in the UCAA playoffs. If the Red Hawks win the UCAA tournament, they will automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March.