SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Fourth quarter heroics by the Skidmore College women's basketball team erased a 11-point fourth quarter deficit, leading to a dramatic 51-46 victory over Union in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.
 
Skidmore outscored Union 23-9 in the final quarter to clinch a Liberty League postseason berth for the second time in three years. The Thoroughbreds improve to 15-8 overall, and move into first place with an 11-3 league mark. Union slides into a three-way tie for fourth place in the league standings with an 8-6 mark, and a 12-10 record overall.
 
After trailing for most of the contest, Veronica Moceri sank the first of two free throws, giving Skidmore a 45-44 lead with 58 seconds left in regulation. Union took the lead right back with a Borg layup with 33 seconds left. With Skidmore getting the ball out of a timeout, Kelly Donnelly drew a foul, sinking a pair of free throws to retake the lead, 47-46, with 18 seconds left.
 
Union had the ball with a chance to win it, but Moceri came up with a big steal. She eventually was fouled and hit a pair of free throws for the three-point lead, and Donnelly later hit a pair of free throws for the winning margin.
 
Donnelly shook off a slow start to lead the Thoroughbreds in a dominant effort, scoring 18 points and adding a career-high 20 rebounds. Moceri added 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field, adding five steals and five rebounds.
 
Sophie Borg was the lone Union player in double figures, scoring 14 points. Erin Lyons added seven points.
 
Consecutive jumpers by Caite Opfer and Donnelly, and a 3-pointer by Ari Fustini gave the Throughbreds a slight 11-9 lead midway through the opening quarter. Union then closed the half on a 9-0 run to take an 18-11 lead after one.
 
Union held to that advantage throughout the rest of the half, holding Skidmore to just 27 percent shooting in the first half, leading to a 29-21 halftime lead. Union then stretched the lead in the second half, leading by as many as 12 points in the third quarter.
 
The Thoroughbreds then mounted a comeback. Moceri hit a 3-pointer to bring the deficit down to single digits, at 35-26, then Kayla Mitchell scored on a layup with 36 seconds left to reduce the Union lead to seven. Abby Katz broke the Dutchwomen's scoring drought of 4:45 with a pair of free throws, as Union led 37-28 heading into the final quarter.
 
Skidmore roared back in the fourth quarter, going on a 10-2 run to reduce the deficit to one. Migle Vilunaite got things started off with a layup in the paint, then Moceri hit a trey to get the deficit back to six, at 39-33. On the next Thoroughbred's possession, Donnelly fought through traffic to finish while getting fouled, converting a traditional three-point play to get the deficit to three. Off a Moceri steal on Union's next possession, Fustini fed Donnelly with the jumper, as Union held a slim 39-38 lead with 6:28 to go.
 
Union responded, converting at the free throw line and in the paint to stretch the lead to 44-40.  Opfer later hit a jumper, and Haley English hit 1-of-2 free throws to bring the deficit back to one, with 2:32 left. Just under a minute later, Donnelly also split a pair of free throws, tying the game at 44 with 1:49 left in regulation. Moceri eventually gave the Thoroughbreds a lead they would not relinquish at the free throw line.
 
Skidmore ended the contest shooting just 30.5 percent from the field, but held Union to 27 percent shooting. Despite not making a field goal in the final 3:03 of the contest, the Thoroughbreds produced from the charity stripe, going 8-for-10 to complete the comeback.
 
With the victory, the Thoroughbreds complete the season sweep with the Dutchwomen. Skidmore defeated Union 64-36 on Jan. 6 in Saratoga Springs.
 
Skidmore will next head north to take on St. Lawrence on Friday at 6 p.m. Union will travel to Rochester to take on RIT on Friday at 6 p.m.