SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team ends January with one final road trip, but won't have to go far, traveling to Union and RPI in Liberty League action this weekend. The Thoroughbreds will begin the weekend at Union on Friday at 8 p.m. and wrap up the weekend at RPI Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Admission to both events are free. Union (Live Stats/Video(paywall)) and RPI (Live Stats/Video) will provide live stats and video for the weekend.
 
The Thoroughbreds (9-6, 5-4 Liberty League) still sit in fourth place in the league standings despite a three-game losing streak, just two games from a possible first-round bye in the upcoming league tournament with nine games to go.
 
As a team, the Thoroughbreds are third in the league in scoring with 78.4 points per game. They are third in field goal percentage (.450) and leads the league in free throw shooting (.745). On the defensive end, the Thoroughbreds lead the league in defending the 3-pointer, with teams shooting just 29.8 percent, and are second in turnover margin (+2.20).
 
Individually, Edvinas Rupkus continues to lead the league in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game. He's also among the league leaders in shooting percentage (.518), free throw percentage (.868), rebounds (6.9), and minutes (33.0). Dakpe Yiljep is second on the team in both scoring (15.2) and rebounds (5.7). Noah Meren is third in scoring at 10.2 points per game, averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 5 vs. RPI. Chase Ta is the league's leading assist man at 4.9 per game, and sports one of the highest assist/turnover ratios (2.0) in the league.
 
Union (9-6, 5-4 Liberty League) comes into the matchup with a matching record, tied for fourth place in the Liberty League standings. The Dutchmen come off a pair of victories last weekend against Vassar and RPI, and have won five of the last six games. Union is near the top of the league in scoring offense (77.1 points) and is second in the league in scoring defense (69.4 points).
 
Kevin Weckworth leads the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game, with Greg King second at 14.4. Kevin McNoble is just shy of double digits with 9.9 points per contest. Matt Liquori is the team's leading rebounder at 7.2.
 
Earlier this season, the Thoroughbreds erased a seven-point deficit in the final 1:58 of regulation, outscoring the Dutchmen 18-7 in the extra period of a 94-83 overtime victory on Jan. 6.
 
RPI (8-8, 3-6 Liberty League) comes into the weekend in eighth place in the league standings, but still stand one game back of the final playoff spot. The Engineers are looking to get back on track after dropping seven of the last eight games. RPI plays a slower tempo than most teams; they're last in scoring offense (68.6) but are tops in scoring defense (64.2), a mark that is 15^th in all of Division III.
 
RPI has two of the league's top four scorers in Andreas Kontopidis (19.7) and Tom Horvat (18.6). Marcus Giese is the team's leading rebounder at 7.8.
 
Earlier in the season, Skidmore opened Liberty League play with a resounding 76-56 victory on Jan. 5.