SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The Union College men's basketball team shot 63.3 percent from the floor and outscored Clarkson University by 19 points in the critical second half to overcome a halftime deficit and post an 85-70 victory in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Junior Jack Plesser overcame first-half foul trouble to score a game-high 25 points for Union (6-2, 2-0 Liberty League), hitting 9-of-12 shots from the field to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Junior Tanner Tedesco had 17 points and eight assists, senior Christian Dufort went for 13 points and seven boards, and senior Neil Daterao scored a season-best 10 points in a full team effort for the Garnet Chargers.
 
Saturday's game was decided in the second half, in which Union hit 19-of-30 shots from the field to outscore the Golden Knights by a 47-28 margin. Down by four at the break, Union started the period on an 11-3 run, with Tedesco scoring seven points and Plesser adding four to put the home team up 49-45 with 3:04 gone by in the frame. Clarkson got back within one possession on four occasions, but the Garnet Chargers had an answer each time to keep themselves ahead.  
 
Dufort hit a jumper with 4:58 to go that put Union up seven (74-64) and started a game-ending 13-3 run for the home team. Union hit 5-of-7 shots from the field and limited Clarkson to 1-of-6 shooting and three turnovers at the other end to help clinch the win.
 
Following a first-half in which Clarkson shot 48.5 percent, Union limited the Golden Knights to 34.6 percent (9 of 26) shooting in the second half. Union hit 19-of-30 attempts from the field in the second stanza to pull away, while also posting a 26-8 scoring edge in the paint and an 11-3 advantage in second-chance points over the final 20 minutes.
 
The Garnet Chargers led for a majority of the opening 10 minutes, but Clarkson used a 12-0 run to build up an 11-point lead with 4:42 left in the first half. The teams traded threes for the final 4:21 of the period, with Union hitting 6-of-7 shots (and 4-of-5 from downtown) to whittle the lead down to four (42-38) by halftime.
 
Union finished the game shooting 53.2 percent (33 of 62) from the field and hit 8-of-20 attempts (40.0 percent) from long range. Clarkson ended the afternoon at 42.2 percent (25 of 59) from the field and also connected on 40.0 percent (14 of 35) of their threes, albeit in a larger quantity.
 
Union will play one more game before heading into winter break, as the Garnet Chargers host Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday at 5 p.m.