SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – History could be made for the Skidmore College women's basketball team this weekend, as the Thoroughbreds look to end its long road stretch on a positive note with trips to Union and RPI. The Thoroughbreds will begin the Liberty League weekend at Union on Friday at 6 p.m. and wrap up the weekend at RPI Saturday at 2 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.
 
Senior guard Kelly Donnelly comes into the weekend just six points shy of breaking Skidmore's all-time scoring record. The 20-year old record of 1,590 points was set by recent Skidmore Athletics Hall of Famer Jamie Cumpelik Balocca '99. A Wynantskill native and former Averill Park High School standout, Donnelly is the program's first two-time All-American, having earned the honor in 2016 and 2017. She is also one rebound shy of sixth place in the all-time rebounding list, looking to pass former teammate Angela Botiba '15, who grabbed 907 boards. Donnelly is the only Thoroughbred with at least 1,500 points and 900 rebounds. This season, the co-captain leads the Liberty League in points per game (18.9) and is fourth in rebounds (8.1).
 
The Thoroughbreds (8-8, 6-3 Liberty League) sit in a five-way tie for second place in the league standings with nine games to go. After this weekend, Skidmore will enjoy the comforts of home court down the stretch, with five of its last seven games at the Williamson Sports Center. The Thoroughbreds are 6-2 at home this season.
 
"At this point in the season you want to be playing good basketball," said Bennett. "With our past road weekend in the books we can continue to build on that success for this weekend. A lot of teams are bunched together and we would really like to create some separation from the crowd of teams in conference play."
 
Skidmore returned to form last weekend, routing Bard by a 65-39 score on Friday and knocking Ithaca out of first place with a 59-46 win on Saturday. Skidmore never trailed throughout the weekend. The Thoroughbred win at Bard saw career-high scoring efforts from Taylor Ong (14 points) and Lilly Berg (11 points), while Saturday's contest featured solid all-around efforts from Veronica Moceri (10 points, six steals), Ari Fustini (10 points, 60 percent shooting) and Caite Opfer (10 rebounds, five points, five assists, three steals, three blocks).
 
Overall, Moceri is second on the team in scoring with 9.4 points per game.  Moceri, Fustini, and fellow guard Haley English help set the tempo offensively with their ball handling, with the team sitting fourth in the league with 14.69 assists per game. Fustini (3.4), Moceri (3.1), and English (2.4) are among the league's top assist leaders.
 
"We are starting to like a lot of what we see from our team on both ends of the floor and that's exciting," said Bennett. "Our kids are playing sturdy and with a strong level of confidence that's being provided by our leaders and upper-class players. We are excited about what the weekend has in store for us."
 
Union (5-10, 2-7 Liberty League) sits in ninth place in the Liberty League standings, four games out of a playoff spot with nine games to go in the regular season. The Dutchwomen went 1-2 last week, defeating Bard midweek before dropping contests against Vassar and RPI.
 
"Union is not having the best season, but they compete and play hard," said Bennett. "With the rivalry aspect and on their home court there is no doubt Fridays game cannot be judged on record alone."
 
Union leads the league in blocked shots per game (4.93) and is fourth in defensive field goal percentage (.359). Individually, Jenni Barra leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game. Nicole Conley is the leading rebounder at 7.4 and leads the league in blocks at 2.4.
 
Earlier this season, Skidmore defeated Union by a 60-49 score. The Thoroughbreds have won the last four games between the two teams.
 
RPI (10-6, 6-3 Liberty League) sits in the middle of the crowded league standings and is one game back of first-place RIT. After a 2-2 league start, the Engineers have won four out of five to set up the weekend slate. They host the league leaders on Friday before Skidmore comes to Troy.
 
RPI is among the league leaders in scoring defense (51.4 points), opponent field goal percentage (.328), rebounding (42.8), and steals (11.25). Individually, LaKissa Martin leads the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game. Shana Iton leads the league in rebounding with 9.5 boards.
 
"RPI is one of the most overall talented teams in our conference," said Bennett. "They have shot makers, playmakers and shot blockers. They play every possession all the way through and make the game a grind especially for the offensive team. They are playing well and highly driven by upper class players and their record shows that. This will no doubt be one of our toughest road games we've had all season."
 
Skidmore will be looking for the season sweep after an impressive 64-48 victory in Saratoga Springs on Jan. 5.