Skidmore (13-8, 9-3 Liberty) vs. William Smith (16-5, 10-2 Liberty)
Game Details: Friday, Feb. 10 | 6 p.m. (Big Green Scream/Senior Night)
Location: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Williamson Sports Center
Game Links: Stats |
Video
Skidmore: Roster |
Stats
William Smith: Roster |
Stats
Skidmore (13-8, 9-3 Liberty) at Union (11-9, 7-5 Liberty)
Game Details: Saturday, Feb. 11 | 2 p.m.
Location: Schenectady, N.Y. – Viniar Athletic Center
Game Links: Stats |
Video |
Radio
Skidmore: Roster |
Stats
Union: Roster |
Stats
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A battle for the top spot in the Liberty League standings highlights a busy weekend for the Skidmore College women's basketball team. The Thoroughbreds will host league-leading William Smith on Friday in the annual 'Big Green Scream' event at 6 p.m., and will travel to nearby Schenectady to take on Union Saturday at 2 p.m.
Friday's home contest is the annual Big Green Scream event for the Thoroughbreds. The first 250 fans will receive a free T-Shirt commemorating the event. There are other giveaways at the event, including a chance to win a 32-inch smart TV. Admission to the game is free.
In addition, the Thoroughbreds will celebrate their two senior student-athletes, center
Migle Vilunaite and guard
Meaghan Flanagan. Vilunaite has been a fixture for the Thoroughbreds, playing in 98 career games. For her career, she has 565 points, 494 rebounds, and 31 blocked shots. This season, Vilunaite is averaging career highs in points (6.7) and rebounds (5.5). Flanagan has played in 78 career games for the Thoroughbreds and has tallied 174 points, 114 rebounds, and 37 assists.
Skidmore comes into the weekend with a 13-8 record overall, and in second place in the conference standings with a 9-3 mark, a game behind first-place William Smith. The Thoroughbreds have a two-game lead over a trio of teams fighting for a playoff berth in Union, Clarkson, and Vassar.
Last weekend, the Thoroughbreds split a pair of games in the Hudson Valley Region. On Friday, the Thoroughbred bench erupted for 36 points, led by a career-high 13 from
Caite Opfer in a 62-39 victory against Bard. On Saturday,
Veronica Moceri tallied 18 points and three steals, and
Kelly Donnelly notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Thoroughbreds fell to Vassar 62-59.
Moceri was named to the Liberty League's honor roll for the first time in her career this past Monday. She upped her season averages this week, averaging 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and two assists while shooting 53 percent from the field in two games. This season, the junior is second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.6 points per game, and leads all Thoroughbreds, shooting a lights-out 86.8 percent from the free throw line.
Opfer also enjoyed a solid weekend playing increased minutes for the Thoroughbreds. The junior forward shot 50 percent from the field in the past two games, averaging 9.5 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
League-leading
William Smith comes into the weekend sporting a 10-2 record in conference play, and a 16-5 mark overall. Last weekend, the Herons split a pair of home games in Geneva, first defeating St. Lawrence on Friday by a 79-52 score, then falling to Clarkson on Saturday 70-61.
William Smith has the best scoring differential in league play, with a margin of 13.7 points. The Herons also steal the most passes per game (10.29) and are second in both scoring offense (69.3 points) and field goal shooting (40.8).
The Herons are led by the duo of Melanie Patterson and Mia Morrison. Patterson leads the team with 14.3 points and 3.3 assists, shooting 42 percent from the field. Morrison is right behind Patterson with 14.2 points per game and leads the team with 7.1 rebounds.
The Thoroughbreds will be looking for some revenge against the Herons. The last time these two teams played was on Jan. 14 in Geneva. William Smith jumped out to an early advantage and never trailed, snapping the Thoroughbred's six-game win streak with the 65-44 victory.
Union comes into the weekend with an 11-9 record overall, tied for third place in the league standings with a 7-5 record. The Dutchwomen will host RPI on Friday, before Skidmore comes to town on Saturday. After winning three games in a row to race back into the Liberty League playoff picture, the Dutchwomen saw its streak snap in an 80-50 loss to RIT on Tuesday.
Games against Union tend to be low-scoring affairs. The Dutchwomen lead the league in scoring defense, with teams allowing just 51.1 points per game, and in opponent field goal percentage, with teams shooting just 33.8 percent from the field. The Thoroughbreds are second in both categories.
Sophie Borg, Erin Lyons, and Nicole Conley share the team scoring lead, each averaging 9.9 points per game. Borg also leads the team in field goal percentage (44.8) and is the team's leading rebounder (6.4).
The last time these teams played was on Jan. 6 in Saratoga Springs. Moceri exploded for a career-high 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting from 3-point range, leading to the 64-36 victory.
