Box Score SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- The Skidmore College women's basketball team outscored RIT 22-6 over an 11-minute span in the second half to pull away for a 67-54 win, Friday night at the Williamson Center in the Liberty League opener for both teams.
The Tigers (6-4, 0-1 Liberty League) took a 37-36 lead in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Thoroughbreds (5-4, 1-0) answered back at both ends of the floor.
Veronica Moceri scored all six of her points during the team's run and
Ella Scheuerell and
Angela Botiba contributed four points each, giving Skidmore a 58-43 lead and helping the Thoroughbreds pull away for good.
Botiba led all scorers with 19 points and added a game-high 15 rebounds and four blocks. Holgate tallied 16 points off the bench, going 6 for 9 from the floor and adding five assists and
Kelly Donnelly had eight points and seven rebounds.
RIT jumped out to an 8-0 lead to open the game after back-to-back threes from Merissa Maiorano and Jessi Glaz and a Julia Bender layup, but the Thoroughbreds responded with a 23-10 run, taking a 27-20 lead. Holgate scored nine points during the run, including seven straight and Botiba added six points. The Tigers fought back late in the half, closing the frame on a 13-6 run capped by back-to-back Abby Judd layups to make it 33-33 at the half.
The two teams traded the lead over the first two minutes of the second before Botiba gave Skidmore a boost converting on a layup and the ensuing free throw. Maiorano got a tough lay up to fall on RIT's next possession, but Scheuerell provided a response, knocking down a jumper to spark the Thoroughbreds second-half run.
Glaz finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Julia Bender led the Tigers with 11 points and Maiorano had nine points and a team-high nine boards.
The Thoroughbreds went 15 for 30 from the field, while RIT was 21 of 61 from the floor including 7 of 21 in the second half. Skidmore owned a 67-54 edge on the glass.
"Tonight's game was a solid win for us," said Skidmore head coach Darren Bennett. "I was proud of our kids for being able to readjust their focus and play a businesslike game to start conference play and get an ever important home win."We continue to get scoring from different players along with the consistent play of Angela inside and the results over the last three games have been the same. We have great depth at both the forward and guard spots and the players are playing at our level when they are in this allowing us to utilize that depth to our advantage."Tonight we did great things as a team unit and tomorrow we are going to need more of that versus a strong, well coached Vassar team." The Thoroughbreds return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, hosting conference foe Vassar.
