SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Jackson Mannix led all players with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Union College men's basketball team pulled out an 86-76 victory over Clarkson University in a back-and-forth Liberty League contest on Friday night at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
A well-rounded offense was key in the victory for Union (6-5, 2-3 Liberty League), with eight players contributing seven points or more to the attack. In addition to Mannix's 21, senior Brendan Laing and junior Kevin Jefferson chipped in 13 points apiece, while senior Kevin McNoble had another solid outing with nine points and six of Union's 21 assists.
 
As a team, Union shot 50.0 percent (27 of 54) from the field, including an excellent 12-of-24 mark from beyond the arc. Conversely, the defense stepped up to hold Clarkson to just 35.8 percent (24 of 67) shooting at the other end.
 
Union took the game to Clarkson from the opening tip, jumping out to a 10-1 lead 3:41 into the contest thanks to five points from Laing, and never let Clarkson get within one possession for the remainder of the half. The visitors got no closer than four points in the opening 20 minutes, and even that deficit was immediately increased by a dunk from sophomore Rhona Eseyade on the next possession.
 
Eseyade had a big first half for the Dutchmen, leading all players with eight points and six rebounds as the home team took a 37-35 lead into the break. In the first half, Union limited Clarkson to 8-of-32 shooting from the field while connecting on 14-of-29 shots of their own.
 
Clarkson battled back to tie the score four times in the second half but could never take the lead, as Union responded immediately at the other end. Sophomore Andrew Laub gave the Dutchmen back the lead twice with a pair of big three-pointers early in the half, scoring eight points in just eight minutes. Laing put the Dutchmen back on top for good with a pair of free throws 10:18 into the half, and that was followed up by Mannix's second four-point play of the game to give Union a 62-56 lead.
 
Leading by seven with 4:51 to go, the home team scored seven straight points to take an 81-67 lead with 3:15 remaining, and that allowed the Dutchmen to coast the rest of the way.
 
Union will face another tough test tomorrow afternoon, when the Dutchmen host second-place St. Lawrence University in another Liberty League battle tipping off at 4 p.m. at the Viniar Athletic Center.