SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Liberty League action begins for the Skidmore College men's basketball team this weekend, as the Thoroughbreds head north for a pair of contests. Skidmore begins the weekend at St. Lawrence on Friday at 7 p.m., before ending the weekend at Clarkson at 4 p.m.
 
The Thoroughbreds (1-2) will come off a 10-day break, rested and ready to begin the league schedule. In its last contest on Nov. 20, the Thoroughbreds got off to a hot start, but couldn't recover from a late first-half run by Hartwick, falling by an 81-72 score. In that contest, sophomore guard Noah Meren had a monster performance, tallying a career-high 39 points, adding 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots. He received Liberty League Performer of the Week honors for the second time this season this past Monday. Senior guard Edvinas Rupkus also tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Skidmore has averaged 74.0 points per game during the three games this season, shooting the ball at a .404 clip from the field, and a solid .763 rate from the free throw line. Defensively, the Thoroughbreds are one of the nation's top shot blocking teams early on, averaging an impressive 5.0 per game. Meren leads the league in scoring with 27.3 points per game, the 11^th best average in the nation. Rupkus is second with 18.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (9.7), 3-point percentage (.471) and free throw percentage (.889). He is also the school's all-time leading scorer, having topped the previous mark of 1,689 points back on Nov. 14 against Plattsburgh. Senior guard Chase Ta leads the team in assists with 3.7 per game.
 
"This is a tough trip to start league play with, both St Lawrence and Clarkson are very well coached and are difficult to beat on their home court," said head coach Joe Burke.  "That being said, I think our guys are anxious to get back on the floor. We have had a sour taste in our mouth for a bit and have not put our best foot forward just yet.  I do believe that day is coming soon as we continue to work on our chemistry."
 
St. Lawrence comes into the weekend with a 2-3 record. On Tuesday, the Saints fell to Plattsburgh State by a 93-64 score, but have victories against SUNY Canton and Ursinus.
 
Ben Crawford leads the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game and rebounding with7.6 boards per game. Luke Hicks right behind in scoring at 14.7 points. Riley Naclerio returned from a season-ending injury suffered last year and has been a huge boost for the Saints. He's third in scoring at 13.2 points per game, adding 6.8 rebounds.
 
The Thoroughbreds won both games against St. Lawrence last season, and have won six straight overall, including the 2016 Liberty League Championship game.
 
Clarkson enters the league season looking for its first victory at 0-5. The Golden Knights take on RPI in the league opener on Friday before Skidmore comes to town on Saturday.
 
Clarkson has a pair of double-digit scorers in Matt Higgins (12.2 points) and Chris Hulbert (10.0 points). Reese Swedberg led the Golden Knights in rebounds with 8.2 boards per game. Clarkson has four players shooting 33 percent or better from beyond the arc.
 
Skidmore has won the last 10 games in the all-time series between the two teams, including a season sweep last year.