SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's basketball team put up a valiant effort against the top-ranked team in the country, but clutch shooting by Tufts doomed the Thoroughbreds, who fell to the Jumbos 60-55 in the final game of the 40th Skidmore Invitational on Saturday.
 
The Thoroughbreds finish the weekend 1-1 after a season-opening victory against Endicott. The Jumbos, ranked No. 1 in the country according to the latest d3hoops.com polls, improve to 2-0.
 
With the Thoroughbreds leading 53-51 with just under two minutes remaining, a pair of free throws by forward Michela North and guard Sadie Otley gave the Jumbos the two-point lead with under a minute left. After a missed shot by the Thorouhgbreds, Otley hit a clutch three on the other end for the five-point lead with 17 seconds left. Guard Maya Bell sped down the other end of the court off the Skidmore timeout to bring the deficit to 58-55, but Tufts hit a pair of free throws to put the game away.
 
The Thoroughbreds were led offensively by guard/forward Kelly Donnelly, who tallied 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting, almost finishing with a double-double with nine rebounds. Forward Migle Vilunaite added 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting, adding six rebounds and adding a block. Both Donnelly and Vilunaite were named to the Skidmore Invitational's All-Tournament Team.
 
Tufts was led by Dillon, who scored 13 points on three 3-pointers, adding five assists. Guard Jacqueline Knapp rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points, adding four rebounds. Dillon was named as the MVP of the Skidmore Invitational, while guard Josie Lee was named to the All-Tournament team.
 
Skidmore held Tufts to just 32.2 percent (19-for-59) shooting from the field in the game, but the Jumbos grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to score 17 second-chance points. The Thoroughbreds shot 41.5 percent (17-for-41) from the field in the game.
 
The Jumbos jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead early in the first quarter. That would turn out to be the biggest lead by both teams in the game, as the Thoroughbreds chipped away with a run to reduce the deficit to 16-10 after one. The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the game slowed down and got more physical. A clutch 3-pointer by guard Ari Fustini with five seconds left in the half brought the halftime deficit to 32-25.
 
The Thorouhgbreds came out strong in the second half, going on a 7-2 run to reduce the deficit to two. In one sequence, Bell stole the inbounds pass after a Donnelly jumper, feeding guard Kayla Mitchell to reduce the deficit to four. After a Tufts miss on the other end, Donnelly grabbed the rebound and launched it three-quarters of the court to Mitchell, who finished with the layup to force the Tufts timeout.
 
The Thoroughbreds pulled to as many as four points (49-45) in the fourth quarter, before Tufts began to chip at the lead, eventually pulling away late.
 
Tufts will host Wheaton (Mass.) on Nov. 22. The Thoroughbreds will continue its four-game homestand with a matchup against Ithaca on Nov. 22, at 6 p.m.

Keene State 72, Endicott 60
 
A big fourth-quarter by Keene State was the difference, as they outscored Endicott 21-10 in the final frame, pulling away 72-60 in the first matchup of the Skidmore Invitational on Saturday.
 
The Owls improve to 2-1 on the season, going 1-1 on the weekend. The Gulls fell to 0-3 on the season.
 
Guard Sandi Purcell led the way with a game-high 24 points, going 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. Guard Lydia Vital added 19 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field, adding four rebounds and three assists, while guard Emily McPadden added 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field.
 
Forward Hannah Shaw tallied a double-double for Endicott, scoring 19 points and adding 10 rebounds, while guard Hannah Kiernan added 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.
 
Both Vital and Shaw were named to the Skidmore Invitational All-Tournament team for their play throughout the weekend.
 
Endicott held the 39-37 edge in rebounds, as both teams shot 38.3 percent (23-for-60) from the field. The difference was at the free throw line, as Keene State went 17-for-21 from the charity stripe, while Endicott went 7-for-9.
 
Keene State and Endicott will square off again, this time in New Hampshire as the Owls host the Gulls on Nov. 22.
 
40th Skidmore Invitational All-Tournament Team
 
Hannah Shaw - Endicott?
Lydia Vital - Keene State?
Migle Vilunaite - Skidmore?
Kelly Donnelly - Skidmore?
Josie Lee - Tufts??
 
MVP: Lauren Dillon - Tufts