MIAMI, Fla. – A furious, last-minute rally by the Skidmore College women's basketball team fell short in its final game at the HoopMIA Holiday Shootout, with the Thoroughbreds falling by a 64-57 score to Gettysburg at the Health & Sports Center Wednesday afternoon.
 
It's the final contest of the 2017 calendar year for the Thoroughbreds, who fall to 4-5. Gettysburg continues its solid start to the season, improving to 8-1.
 
A third-quarter scoring burst by the Bullets proved to be the difference in the contest, outscoring the Thoroughbreds by a 23-8 margin. Skidmore outscored Gettysburg in the other three quarters by a 49-41 margin, including a 23-17 edge in the final quarter.
 
With Gettysburg holding its largest lead of the game, 58-45 at the 2:55 mark of the final quarter, Skidmore made its move. Lilly Berg and Kelly Donnelly scored in the paint to get the deficit within nine, before a pair of Gettysburg free throws made the score 60-49, with 1:31 remaining.
 
On Skidmore's next possession, Veronica Moceri knifed through the lane, making the running layup while getting fouled. She made the resulting free throw, converting on the 3-point play at the 1:24 mark. After a Gettysburg turnover, Moceri sank a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining in regulation, reducing the deficit to five, at 60-55. The Thoroughbreds forced another Bullets turnover, before Donnelly hit a fadeaway jumper in traffic with 16 seconds left, the score at 60-57.
 
Skidmore nearly forced a third straight Gettysburg turnover, but the Bullets broke the Skidmore press, eventually converting on free throws for the final margin.
 
Donnelly led all scorers with 22 points, the D3hoops.com Preseason All-American honoree stuffing the stat sheet with five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a pair of blocked shots. Moceri tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Fustini added six points, five rebounds, and four assists.
 
Emma Dorshimer led the Bullets with 21 points. The Thoroughbreds were able to hold fellow Preseason All-American selection Emily Gibbons to eight points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field.
 
After an evenly matched first quarter, Skidmore took control with a 7-2 spurt over a 1:58 stretch in the second, taking a 21-16 lead. Moceri hit a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left, giving the Thoroughbreds a 26-22 lead. Dorshimer converted on a layup with four seconds left, as the Thoroughbreds took a 26-24 lead into halftime. After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Gettysburg outscored Skidmore 17-4 over the final 7:44 of the third quarter to pull ahead.
 
Both teams shot 41 percent from the field in the contest. Free throws proved to be a difference, with Gettysburg converting on 17-of-20 chances from the charity stripe, compared to 6-of-8 from the Thoroughbreds.

"We showed great effort and fight today versus a really good Gettysburg team," said head coach Darren Bennett. "I'm really proud of our team with so many of the things we did today. We clicked on defense in a special way for a lot of possessions and found some different ways to score as well all throughout the game. I'm excited for our team coming into conference play and really like where we are as a unit, on and off the court. Extended trips are great ways to build team toughness and are great for team unity and bonding. We are getting those things and so much more here in sunny Miami."  
It's Liberty League action for the Thoroughbreds from here on out, beginning on Jan. 5, 2018. Skidmore will host RPI at the Williamson Sports Center at 6 p.m., with Union coming to Saratoga Springs the next afternoon at 2 p.m.