SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College basketball team reached new heights in the 2017 calendar year, hoping to bring that momentum into 2018. The Thoroughbreds begin a 16-game stretch of Liberty League games to end the regular season with a pair of games against Capital Region foes this weekend.
The Thoroughbreds (6-2, 2-0 Liberty League), defending Liberty League regular season champions, will host a solid RPI team on Friday at 8 p.m., and will close out the weekend against defending league tournament champion Union on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fans can follow both games via our
live stat and
video links. Admission to both games are free.
Skidmore completed its last non-conference game of the regular season, a hard-fought, 80-77 loss to Guilford on Dec. 30. In that game,
Edvinas Rupkus showed his efficiency on the offensive end to the tune of a season-high 32 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field, 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 shooting from the free throw line. For his efforts, the junior guard was named as the Liberty League's Co-Performer of the Week. Fellow junior guard
Jack Byrne also tallied a season high in scoring, adding 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, making five threes.
The early part of the season saw the Thoroughbreds leap into the national Division III rankings for the first time in school history, entering the D3hoops.com polls at 20, and moving as high as 16 on Dec. 5. Also, Skidmore started the season with a 6-0 record, its best start in program history, beating teams by an average of 17.5 points per game. In Liberty League play, the Thoroughbreds got an early start with a pair of dominating home victories, an 81-56 win on Dec. 1 against St. Lawrence and a 77-60 win against Clarkson on Dec. 2.
"I'm pleased after the non conference portion," said head coach
Joe Burke. "I have been saying since October that the best version of this group should be ready in February. I still feel that way as we are still growing and figuring out some roles but it's been a fun process to watch."
"I think people tend to forget we lost two really good players including the program's 1st-ever All-American. That being said, I embrace the expectations around here. Our fans and our players come to expect a consistent high level of basketball and I love that. We have some really good pieces and I am excited to watch this group continue to grow in what should be a very competitive conference."
In its first eight games, Skidmore is fourth nationally at the free throw line as a team, shooting it at a .786 clip, with six of their eight regulars shooting it at 75 percent or above. The Thoroughbreds are in the top-50 in field goal percentage (48.1%), 3-point percentage (39.6%), and scoring margin (10.9 points). The Thoroughbreds are the Liberty League leaders in five categories (assists per game, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, and scoring offense at 83.4 points per game).
Individually, Skidmore's rotation is beginning to take shape. Rupkus leads the league in scoring at 23 points per game, and is also the league leader in free throw attempts (59) and free throws made (51), making them at a .864 clip. Rupkus also leads the team with 7.5 rebounds.
Chase Ta is having a solid season as a full-time starter, leading the conference with 5.6 assists per game, while adding 7.4 points per game.
Dakpe Yiljep has adjusted well to Skidmore, and is second on the team in scoring at 15.9 points and in rebounding at 5.0 caroms.
Jack Morrow has provided the range for Skidmore from 3-point land, making 1.6 threes per game while shooting it at 40.2 percent.
Byrne,
Pat Gallagher, and
Noah Meren have supplied the Skidmore bench with solid play. Byrne is third on the team with 9.5 points per game, shooting the 3-pointer at a 43 percent rate. Gallagher leads the team in field goal percentage at 57.9 percent, and is averaging a career-high 9.4 points per game. Meren is making the most of his rookie season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds, tallying a career-high 19 points against No. 2 Middlebury on Dec. 8.
RPI comes into the weekend with a 7-2 record and a matching 2-0 mark in Liberty League action. In its last game, the Engineers fell by a razor-thin 72-71 margin to St. John Fisher in Rochester on Dec. 30.
The Engineers are led by their scoring duo of Andreas Kontopidis and Tom Horvat. Kontopidis leads the team in scoring at 20.7 points per game and also hits the three at a .462 rate. Tom Horvat is right behind at 19.9 points. Marcus Giese is third at 9.3 points and leads the team with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Skidmore and RPI have split the last four games of the all-time series, with the road team winning each of the contests.
Union comes in with a 4-3 record, splitting its first two Liberty League games. The Dutchmen defeated then-No. 19 Hobart 67-62 on Dec. 1 before falling at the buzzer to RIT, 65-62, the next day.
The defending tournament champs lost nearly half of their scoring to graduation last season, but a trio of upperclassmen have stepped up in the 2017-2018 season. Kevin Weckworth leads the squad in scoring at 18.4 points per game and assists at 3.4. Greg King is second with 14.0 points and leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. Kevin McNoble is third in scoring at 10.4 points and leads the team in 3-point shooting at 40.9 percent.
Skidmore defeated Union in both its contests last season, and has won the last eight contests of the all-time series.
