Posted by Katie Peverada
Both the men's and women's basketball teams hit the road Tuesday night, squaring off against Liberty League foe St. Lawrence University. Despite a strong showing, the women lost a close 63-58 game. The men rallied to win 52-50, their fifth straight win.
Despite a 21 point, 15 rebound double-double from Angela Botiba '15, the Thoroughbreds were unable to unseat the top-ranked Saints. The Thoroughbreds, though, gave St. Lawrence a tough contest. The teams entered the half tied at 26-26, and despite the Saints opening the game up to 37-31 early in the second half, Skidmore fought back to tie it up at 42-42. Migle Vilunaite '17 and Ella Scheuerell '16 both hit field-goals to bring the team within two, and Botiba's work in the low post tied the game up. However, St. Lawrence responded to the Skidmore offense by scoring 11 unanswered points to make it 53-42 with 5:36 remaining. A switch to the full-court press forced the Saints into several turnovers, and Skidmore got back within three with just under a minute remaining. However, six straight missed field goal attempts did the Thoroughbreds in, and the game ended with the Saints winning 63-58.
In addition to Botiba's performance, the Thoroughbreds also received 14 points and three assists from senior Jordyn Wartts, and Amber Holgate '16 added 11 points coming off of the bench. Skidmore dropped to 9-12, 4-8 in league play, and saw their three-game win streak come to an end. The Thoroughbreds visit Vassar on Friday night for another Liberty League matchup.
The Skidmore men's team extended its win streak to five straight, rallying from six points down at the half to win 52-50. The first half left much to be desired for both teams, as they combined to shoot 17% from behind the three-point line. Going into the half, the Saints led the Thoroughbreds 25-19 and looked poised to extend the lead at the start of the second with a quick basket. But the Thoroughbreds had other intentions, and Aldin Medunjanin '16 sparked a 10-2 run and assisted Tanner Brooks' lay-up to reclaim the lead with 13:37 remaining. The assist was one of nine for Medunjanin, who also finished with 16 points. The Saints reclaimed the lead, going up 43-30 with under five minutes to go, but Erik Sanders '16 and Brian Moore '14 both hit from behind the arc to tie the game at 45-45. Medunjanin capped the Skidmore rally with a three-pointer with 15.4 seconds left to give the Thoroughbreds the 52 points they would need to win the game.
Brooks finished with nine points and six steals, which would prove vital as Skidmore scored 21 points off of turnovers. Sanders finished with 11 points and Connor Merrill '15 finished with seven.
The men will also travel to Vassar on Friday with an 8 p.m. tip-off.