SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Fresh off a dramatic last-second victory on Wednesday, the Skidmore College men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, making the trip north to face No. 18 Middlebury at 4 p.m.
 
The Thoroughbreds (4-2) have won the last three contests after a 1-2 start, none more dramatic than their last contest Wednesday evening. Down 12 in the second half and down six with 16 seconds to go, Skidmore scored seven unanswered points, leading to a dramatic 69-68 victory over Worcester State. Senior guard Edvinas Rupkus and sophomore guard Noah Meren combined for 38 points to lead the Thoroughbreds. Senior forward Dakpe Yiljep tallied his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Pat Gallagher added 10 crucial points off the bench.
 
Through the season's first quarter, Skidmore is eighth in the Liberty League in scoring offense at 73.5 points per game, but leads the league in team free throw shooting percentage (.788, 15^th in Division III), and is third in 3-point field goal percentage (.348) and fourth in field goal percentage (.447). On the defensive end, Skidmore is third in scoring defense, with opponents averaging just 70.8 points per game, second in opponent's field goal percentage, with teams shooting at a .391 clip, and third with 4.33 blocked shots per game.
 
Individually, Meren leads the Thoroughbreds and the Liberty League in scoring with 25.7 points per game, shooting an impressive 52.9 percent from the field and 81.5 percent from the free throw line. Rupkus is sixth in the league at 16.3 points per game, and he leads the Thoroughbreds in 3-point field goal percentage (42.4%, sixth in the league) and free throw percentage (89.7%, second in the league). He also leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Chase Ta is third in the league in assists per game (4.0) and he sports the best assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 2.4 assists per turnover. Three players, Meren, Yiljep, and freshman center Greg Skoric each average a blocked shot per game.

"We are looking forward to a great challenge on Saturday," said head coach Joe Burke. "We have great respect for Middlebury and have had some really good battles with them during my time here.
It will be an intense game featuring two programs that are among the nation's best.  Our group has yet to hit their stride so ultimately we are looking to continue to improve against another quality opponent."
 
Middlebury, the 18^th-ranked team in the d3hoops.com national rankings, comes into the weekend with a 5-2 record. In its last game, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with 10^th-ranked Plattsburgh, but fell on the road by a 92-83 score.
 
Middlebury has a high-octane offense which averages an impressive 89.9 points a game, hitting 11.4 made 3-pointers at a .390 clip. They also outrebound opponents by a 10.6 margin (49.3-38.7). The Panthers have three double-digit scorers, led by Jack Farrell and his 17.0 points per game. Matt Folger is right behind at 16.1 points per game, followed by Max Bosco with 15.9. Folger also leads the team in rebounds with 10.1.
 
Although Middlebury has won the last two games of the all-time series, both games have been close. In 2016, Skidmore nearly rallied back from a 17-point deficit, as a potential game-winner by Royce Paris '17 was just tipped at the buzzer by the hosts. Last year, Skidmore held a four-point halftime lead on Middlebury, then the second-ranked team in the country, before the Panthers pulled away late in the second half for the win.