CU Women's Basketball Preview - vs. St. Lawrence (2/15)

With a home sweep over the weekend, the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team improved its standing in the Liberty League and the Golden Knights will look to ride that momentum into Wednesday's home game against St. Lawrence University.

The Golden Knights (14-9 overall, 9-5 Liberty League) stand alone in third place in the conference, but nothing has been clinched for Clarkson as three teams trail the Green and Gold by one game. St. Lawrence has officially been eliminated from playoff contention with a record of 6-8 in the Liberty League (9-13 overall).

Clarkson has gained its success thanks to a strong defensive effort and a significant differential in free throw percentage from its opponents, perhaps because its defense. The Knights force a league-high 20.2 turnovers per game to limit their opponents' chances at the other end. Additionally, Clarkson ranks first in the Liberty League in free throw shooting (72.2%) while its opponents are last in that category (61.2%). Junior guards Devin Sorell and Madison Shea have combined to take 53.9% of the team's free throws and the duo is shooting a collective 78.3% from the line, including a success rate of 91.5% (43-for-47) over the last three games. Sorell became the seventh member of Clarkson's 1000-point club on Saturday, scoring a career-high 34 points versus Vassar. That figure helped push her season scoring average to 16.3 points per game, second in the Liberty League, and her conference scoring mark to 19.6 points per contest. Shea is another player that is averaging double figures for the Knights, scoring 10.1 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals per contest. Senior Stephanie Grobe is also kicking in 10.3 points per contest as well as 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Clarkson's other two starters, Alyssia Marsal and Molly Stewart, have played considerable roles all season as well. Marsal ranks in the top five in the conference in rebounding (7.8 rpg), assists (3.3 apg) and steals (2.6 spg) while Stewart is averaging 8.1 points per game in her first collegiate season, shooting a team-best 45.3% from the field.

After a tough start, St. Lawrence has done a tremendous job of taking care of the basketball, committing just 19 turnovers in its last three games combined, a figure that the Saints equaled or surpassed in a single game seven times in its first nine games. The Saints have also improved their success rate from beyond the 3-point arc lately, shooting 33.3% (38-for-114) over the last seven games following just a 27.4% rate (86-for-314) in their first 15 contests. Meghan Hynes leads the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and the sophomore is also shooting 41.0% from the floor. Shayna Davner (7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 apg), Cara Waterson (7.9 ppg, 2.5 apg), and Caroline Dalton (7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg) have also contributed heavily as starters for the Saints this season.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Stephanie Grobe: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#22 Alyssia Marsal: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Madison Shea: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#24 Devin Sorell: G; 5' 3"; Junior

#11 Molly Stewart: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#21 Stephanie Grobe
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#22 Alyssia Marsal
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#10 Madison Shea
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#24 Devin Sorell
: 5' 3"; Junior
: G

#11 Molly Stewart
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G