SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Edvinas Rupkus scored 32 points, and Jack Byrne added a career-high 22, as the Skidmore College men's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit with a hot-shooting second half, defeating Union 88-78 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.
 
The Thoroughbreds remain tied for first place in the conference with a 12-2 record and a 17-6 record overall. Skidmore also clinches a first-round home game in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament. Union stays in fourth place with an 8-6 mark in league play and a 12-10 record overall.
 
Skidmore outscored Union 62-41 in the second half, shooting an unconscious 72 percent from the field in that frame, including 10-for-12 from beyond the arc. Rupkus shook off foul trouble for the second straight contest, scoring his 32 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field, adding two steals. Byrne knocked down six 3-pointers and added seven rebounds. Aldin Medunjanin was two rebounds shy of his second career triple-double, scoring 11 points, adding 11 assists and eight rebounds. Chase Ta and Pat Gallagher each added eight points.
 
Deshon Burgess scored 27 points to lead the Dutchmen, adding nine rebounds. Greg King added 12 points and five rebounds, and Brendan Laing added 11 points.
 
"I'm really proud of the guys tonight," said Skidmore coach Joe Burke. "We didn't have a whole lot go right for us in the first half, but we hung in there and then we caught our rhythm. We've got some tough dudes in our locker room and I love that about this group. It's a lot of fun to coach them and watch them compete."
 
Union started the game on a 10-2 run, but Rupkus led Skidmore on a run of their own, scoring Skidmore's next 12 points to bring the Union lead to 15-14. From there, Union began to pull away, bringing the lead to as many as 13 points, at 37-24. Byrne hit a jumper with 58 seconds left in the opening half to send Skidmore to a 37-26 halftime deficit. Union's defense held Skidmore to just 31 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
The Skidmore offense came alive after halftime. Back-to-back treys by Rupkus reduced the deficit to 39-32, then Ta reduced it to five after a coast-to-coast layup. Union pulled the lead to seven on several occasions, and led by as much as 58-50 midway through the period. A quick 10-2 Skidmore run, capped off by a 3-pointer by Jack Morrow, tied the game at 60 with 8:08 to go. On the next Thoroughbred possession, Skidmore took its first lead since leading 2-0 with a trey by Byrne.
 
Union never recovered, as Skidmore stretched the lead to double digits late on three straight 3-pointers. Skidmore then went 10-for-12 from the charity stripe to close out the victory.
 
Skidmore finished the game with 50 percent shooting from the field and held Union to just 36 percent. Union outrebounded Skidmore by a 46-36 margin, but Skidmore was efficient from the foul line, making 21-of-27 shots.
 
The Thoroughbreds sweep the season series against the Dutchmen. Skidmore defeated Union on Jan. 6 by a 70-58 score in Saratoga Springs. The Thoroughbreds' 12th conference win with two games to go in the league regular season bests their mark from last season, when they went 11-5.
 
Skidmore will next head north to take on St. Lawrence on Friday at 8 p.m. Union will travel to Rochester to take on RIT, also on Friday at 8 p.m.