WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – A strong second-half performance by the Skidmore College women's basketball team was enough for its first win of the season, a 55-51 triumph over Salem State in the final game of the Morin Memorial Classic, held on the campus of Williams College.
 
Skidmore improves to 1-3, while Salem State falls to 0-4.
 
A pair of Thoroughbreds scored in double digits. Sophomore guard Sydney Tsutsui led the team with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, adding two assists and two rebounds. Junior guard Jessica Centore added 11 points, four rebounds, and two blocked shots. Senior guard Haley English added four points and a career-high nine rebounds and eight assists. Freshman forward Clare Driscoll added nine points off the bench. The Thoroughbreds shot a season-high 30.4 percent (21-for-69) from the field and out-rebounded its opponent for the third time in four games, this time by a 53-43 margin.
 
Kia Fernandes tallied 14 points to lead the Vikings.
 
After an evenly-played first quarter, the Thoroughbreds raced out to an 11-2 run to begin the second quarter, taking a 21-15 lead after a Centore layup at the 3:44 mark. Skidmore closed the 19-5 quarter with a Tsutsui 3-pointer and another Centore layup, as the Thoroughbreds went into halftime with a 29-18 lead.
 
Salem State came out of halftime firing, going on a 15-0 run to take a 33-29 lead. Senior forward Taylor Ong broke the run with a 3-pointer with 1:15 to go in the third quarter, then Centore hit a jumper 29 seconds later to give Skidmore a 34-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Skidmore stretched its lead to 36-33 at the start of the fourth, thanks to a Tsutsui jumper. Salem State would flip the script, going on a 10-0 run in 2:12 before junior center Lilly Berg halted the run with a pair of midrange jumpers, with Driscoll adding two free throws.
 
The teams would trade baskets for a few minutes, before a clutch 3-pointer by Driscoll tied the game at 49, with Centore giving the Thoroughbreds a 51-49 lead on a jumper a few possessions later. Free throws and a Tsutsui layup gave Skidmore a 55-49 lead. Salem State scored a few possessions later but would get no closer as the Thoroughbreds closed out the win.
 
Skidmore continues its road swing on Tuesday, taking on No. 6 Tufts at 6 p.m.