SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A grueling slate of games in the 2017 calendar year has prepared the Skidmore College women's basketball team for 2018, as it looks down the barrel of a 16-game stretch of Liberty League contests to end the regular season.
 
The journey for the Thoroughbreds (4-5, 2-0 Liberty League) will continue at the Williamson Sports Center this weekend, when the defending regular season champions hosts RPI at 6 p.m. on Friday, and Union at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Fans can follow both games via our live stat and video links. Admission to both games are free.
 
The Thoroughbreds return to action after a two-week absence, dropping a pair of contests in the HoopMIA tournament to Division II Barry and one-loss Gettysburg, ending the non-conference slate for the regular season.
 
It has proved to be a tough slate of contests for the Thoroughbreds, whose seven non-conference opponents combine for a record of 61-15. Skidmore has produced a pair of impressive wins against undefeated foes, coming from behind to defeat Williams by a 60-58 score on Nov. 28 and overcoming injuries to defeat Middlebury by a 55-49 score on Dec. 8.
 
"We've played a monster of a non-conference schedule," said head coach Darren Bennett. "Every team has a winning record, many of them have one or two losses. We've scheduled hard to prepare for conference play and be ready to battle against every team in conference play and we will be ready to begin that quest as we re-start conference play against RPI and Union."
 
In league action, the Thoroughbreds picked up where they left off from last season, getting solid victories against North Country foes St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Against St. Lawrence on Dec. 1, Skidmore held off a late Saints charge in the second half, getting a clutch 3-pointer by Ari Fustini to earn the 63-60 victory. Against Clarkson the next day, the Thoroughbreds avenged last season's loss in the Liberty League Semifinals by dominating late in a 67-57 victory.
 
"We are in a good place, people are getting healthy and we are working to keep players healthy," said Bennett. "At this point in the season so much has to do with fine tuning and exacting game preparation, so we are able to work with our athletic training staff to evaluate the health and wellness of our players and make adjustments accordingly.  It's a long season and right now being healthy for games physically and emotionally is key."
 
As a team, the Thoroughbreds average 56 points per game. They have controlled the ball well as of late, sitting fourth in the league with 14.7 assists per game, and have a solid assist/turnover ratio of 0.84, third-best mark in the league.
 
Individually, Kelly Donnelly continues to be one of the best players in the conference. The two-time Liberty League Player of the Year and All-American headlines the conference in scoring (19.1), and is among the league's best players in rebounding (6.9), blocked shots (1.0), steals (2.1), and field goal percentage (45.3%). Ari Fustini leads the team with 3.8 assists per game and sports one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the league at 1.3. Veronica Moceri has shown to be a nice offensive option for Skidmore, averaging 9.8 points per game and leading the team with a .378 3-point shooting percentage. Caite Opfer is third in scoring at 6.9 points per game and second in rebounding at 4.5. Haley English runs the point for Skidmore and is one of the best options at the charity stripe, shooting it at a team-leading 76.9 percent.
 
"Player for player this is such a fun team," said Bennett. "We had an amazing trip to Miami prior to the holiday season and that really tightened the closeness net of our team.  We have a fun, close group, 1-12 have been so much fun.  Such exciting times ahead for these ladies."
 
The Thoroughbreds begin the weekend with a match-up with RPI (6-3, 2-0 Liberty League). The Engineers have won the last three games, defeating Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Salve Regina to end 2017. They are led by Elizabeth Eckhardt on offense, averaging 13.2 points per game. Shaina Iton is the best rebounder in the conference, averaging 10.1 points per game.
 
Last season, the Thoroughbreds won both games against the Engineers, and have won three of the last four games.
 
On Saturday, Union (4-4, 1-1 Liberty League) comes to Saratoga Springs. The Dutchwomen snapped a three-game losing streak with two victories against Utica and MCLA. Union travels to Ithaca on Friday before coming to Skidmore. Jenni Barra leads the team with 12.3 points per game. Nicole Conley is second at 8.1, while leading the team in rebounding at 8.4. The Thoroughbreds also swept their matchup with Union last season, including a dramatic comeback at Union on Feb. 11 to clinch a playoff berth.
 
After the Capital District contests, Skidmore will embark on a season-long, seven-game road trip which will stretch through the month of January. Beginning with an evening matchup with Vassar on Jan. 9, the Thoroughbreds will be on the road until their next home match on Feb. 2 against Ithaca.
 
"There's nothing like a good road hamburger or pizza," said Bennett. "Seven road games at this time of year actually works out in our favor because it's during the winter break between semesters so time away from campus keeps things fresh.  The overall toll on the body can be stressful because playing on the road forces your team to have to create its own energy and atmosphere. Having a veteran group with four seasoned seniors will really be important to our success during the upcoming weeks when we do begin the trek around upstate NY for those games.  It's another opportunity to grow closer as a unit as we chase our goals, and we are looking forward to the time together with the team."