SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team had a strong shooting performance for the second straight game, leading to an 82-54 victory over Bard in Liberty League action on Saturday.
 
The Thoroughbreds win their fifth straight game, improving to 13-5 overall and 8-1 in the conference. The Raptors fall to 2-14 overall and 0-7 in the league.
 
It was another milestone performance for senior guard Aldin Medunjanin. After becoming the sixth player in Skidmore men's basketball history to score 1,500 career points, Medunjanin moved into second place on that all-time list, passing Skidmore Hall-of-Famer David Burch. He tallied a game-high 19 points to finish with 1,527 career points.
 
It was another balanced scoring effort for the Thoroughbreds with four players scoring in double-digits. Sophomore guard Edvinas Rupkus scored 17 points on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting from the field, adding five rebounds. Sophomore guard Jack Byrne added 14 points and a season-best eight rebounds, while junior center Marcus Jackson added 11 points and five rebounds coming off the bench.
 
Guard Jelani Bell-Isaac led the Raptors with 14 points, while forward Armando Dunn tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Thoroughbreds jumped out of the gate quick with eight straight points, making their first three baskets. After a 3-pointer by Bard guard Emmanuel Oyakhilome reduced the deficit to four, Skidmore ripped off a 16-2 run to put the game out of reach, led by three Byrne treys. Sophomore guard Chase Ta knifed through the lane, making a tough layup to beat the game clock, leading to a 44-25 halftime advantage.
 
The Thoroughbreds didn't let up in the second half, with Medunjanin scoring 11 straight points for Skidmore in an incredible 3:12 stretch early in the period. The Thoroughbred bench came in and pushed the lead to as many as 34 points before the lead settled at 28 late.
 
Skidmore shot 53.8 percent from the field and made 10 3-pointers, shooting 37 percent. The Thoroughbreds also got 21 points from off the bench and 13 off of Bard turnovers.
 
"I thought it was a good effort tonight by the team," said Skidmore head coach Joseph Burke. "We had a couple guys really get it going offensively but we also had terrific balance. The mission was to play well this weekend and I thought we came up with two really good efforts on both ends of the floor. We need to shut it down for a day and get some rest and then gear up for a really good St Lawrence team. They are playing terrific basketball and I honestly believe they are a top-25 team in the country."
 
"We are looking forward to a great crowd on Tuesday. It should be a great environment for both teams."
 
 
The Thoroughbreds will host St. Lawrence in a battle of the league's top teams at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.