POTSDAM, N.Y. – Junior Megan Lee led all players with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting as the Union College women's basketball team outscored Clarkson University by 20 points in the second half on the way to a 74-60 Liberty League victory on Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The victory moves Union (11-12, 9-8 Liberty League) into sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings with one game left. The Dutchwomen, who can finish no lower than fifth in the conference standings, can clinch the fourth seed with a victory tomorrow over St. Lawrence University or a loss by Rochester Institute of Technology to Bard College.
 
Lee was nearly automatic for Union on the night, missing just two of her 12 field-goal attempts while also grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Seniors Darby Leid and Anna Metcalf chipped in 14 points and 12 points, respectively, while fellow senior Amber Raisner filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, six boards and four assists.
 
Clarkson (5-18, 4-13 Liberty League) started the game with an 8-3 run, but three straight baskets from Leid, Lee and senior Laura Vinton gave the Dutchwomen their first lead of the game at 9-8 with 3:22 left. The lead changed hands four more times in the opening frame, with a jumper by Metcalf in the final minute giving the visitors a 15-14 edge after 10 minutes.
 
Union built up its largest lead of the opening half after a Leid three-point play made the score 20-16 with 8:08 on the clock in the second, but that was followed by nine straight Clarkson points. After Lee got the visitors back within one at 25-24, the Golden Knights closed on a 7-2 run to take a 32-26 advantage into the half.
 
Union shot 42.9 percent (12 of 28) in the opening 20 minutes and, led by 10 points from Lee, outscored Clarkson 20-4 in the paint. The Golden Knights connected on 35.5 percent (11 of 31) of their attempts from the field but also converted seven Union turnovers into 10 points.
 
The Dutchwomen took back the lead with a stellar third quarter, hitting 11-of-20 shots from the field and outscoring Clarkson 26-16 to take a 52-48 lead into the fourth. The visitors out-rebounded the home team 12-1 in the third period, including eight on the offensive glass that led to eight second-chance points. Union started the frame with a huge 15-2 run over 4:59 of game time, led by Raisner with seven points and a defense that limited Clarkson to just three shots. That run gave Union a 41-34 lead, and the teams essentially traded baskets the rest of the frame.
 
Union closed the door by shooting 53.3 percent (8 of 15) in the fourth frame, again outscoring the home team by 10 to finish out the evening. It was a one-possession game at the midway point of the frame with the Dutchwomen clinging to a 62-59 lead, but Union rattled off 12 straight points and held Clarkson to just one free throw over the final 5:14 to secure the victory.
 
The visitors shot better than 38 percent in all four periods on Friday night, ending the game at 49.2 percent (31 of 63) from the field. Union controlled the paint all game long, posting a 42-12 edge scoring in the paint and out-rebounding Clarkson by a 38-27 margin, including 16 offensive boards that resulted in a 23-13 edge in second-chance points.
 
Union will close out the regular season tomorrow at 2 p.m. at St. Lawrence University.