SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Still in the thick of the Liberty League postseason hunt, the Skidmore College men's basketball team returns home for the first time in a month this weekend, beginning a crucial seven-game stretch with a pair of contests against Ithaca and Bard.
The Thoroughbreds will begin the weekend against Ithaca at the Williamson Sports Center on Friday at 8 p.m., wrapping things up against Bard on Saturday at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission to both games are free to the public.
Live stats and
video will be provided for both games.
Skidmore (9-8, 5-6 Liberty League) is looking to snap its recent five-game losing streak, but looks to improve on its near-perfect start on home court. The Thoroughbreds are 5-1 at home this season, with its lone loss coming to then- No. 2 Middlebury on Dec. 8. Last weekend, Skidmore split the season series against its Capital Region foes, dropping contests to Union and RPI. Currently in fifth place in the league standings, the Thoroughbreds have a one-game lead on RPI, Clarkson, Bard, and Vassar, sitting just two games out of second place with seven games to go. The schedule favors Skidmore from here on out, with five of its seven games at home, with home contests against Ithaca, RIT, and Hobart, teams currently ahead of them in the standings.
Junior guard
Edvinas Rupkus continues to lead the league in scoring, at 22.5 points per game. He is also among the league leaders in field goal percentage (.498), free throw percentage (.850), and minutes per game (33.1). Fellow junior
Chase Ta has improved his offensive production as of late, scoring a season-high 19 points in both games last weekend. He currently leads the league in assists at 4.9, and is tops in assist/turnover ratio at 1.9. He is also third in the conference in steals at 1.9. Junior forward
Dakpe Yiljep is second on the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game, and is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field on the season. Junior guard
Jack Byrne and freshman guard
Noah Meren are hovering around double digits at 9.7 and 9.6 points per game, respectively.
Ithaca (12-6, 7-4 Liberty League) sits in a tie for second place in the league standings with Union heading down the stretch. The Bombers are in the midst of a five-game road trip, having dropped its last two contests at Hobart and Union.
The Bombers are led by Riley Thompson, who averages 14.6 points, shooting the three at a .458 clip. Marc Chasin is right behind in scoring at 14.5, leading the team with 3.6 assists per game. Peter Ezema leads the team in rebounding at 8.4.
Ithaca defeated Skidmore in its last meeting a few weekends ago, by an 84-71 score in Ithaca on Jan. 20.
Bard (6-12, 4-7 Liberty League) is tied for sixth in the league standings, looking to jump into a playoff berth. The road won't be easy for the Raptors, who travel to Vassar on Friday before facing Skidmore on Saturday, and face a stretch of five of seven games on the road. Last weekend, the Raptors dropped road contests to Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
Three of Bard's four leading scorers are freshmen. Rookie Justyn Rogers leads the team in scoring at 13.6, with junior David Runcie right behind at 13.0. Emmanuel Oyakhilome and Alijah Rue round out the group with 12.7 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Oyakhilome leads the team in rebounding at 7.9.
Bard defeated Skidmore in its last meeting on Jan. 19, a 63-58 score. Both teams have split the season series in the last two years.
