CANTON, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team saw another strong performance from its bench unit, clinching a Liberty League postseason berth with an 88-62 victory over St. Lawrence at Burkman Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The Thoroughbreds (13-11, 9-9 Liberty League) clinches the fifth seed in the upcoming league tournament and will travel to face Ithaca in the quarterfinal game on Tuesday. The Saints finish the season 5-20 overall and 3-15 in the league.
After tallying 43 bench points on Friday at Clarkson, the Thoroughbreds set a season-high with 49 points in the victory.
Dakpe Yiljep led all scorers with 26 points (9-for-12 from the field), adding seven rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
Jack Byrne added 14 points, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Edvinas Rupkus led the starters with 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. The Thoroughbreds had one of its best performances from the field in the victory, shooting 51.6 percent from the field.
Dom DeRegis led three double-digit Saints scorers with 16 points, adding six rebounds. Skidmore held St. Lawrence to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field in the victory.
"I'm happy for this team," said head coach
Joe Burke. "To be going to the postseason for an eighth straight year says a lot about our culture. Specifically, this group has over come a lot to get there. They knew their backs were against the wall but they came out swinging this weekend."
The Thoroughbreds led for much of the contest. Skidmore pulled to an early 16-8 lead in the first nine minutes, before the Saints clawed back with a 6-0 run. The Thoroughbreds would stretch the lead again for good; a 15-6 run gave Skidmore a double-digit lead (31-20) with 6:21 to go in the half. The visitors would stretch the lead to as many as 17 points to end the half with the 43-26 advantage.
The Thoroughbreds kept the pressure on in the second half, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, scoring 45 points. Skidmore ballooned its lead to as many as 34 points, before the final margin settled at 26.
Skidmore out rebounded St. Lawrence by a 37-24 margin, and held a 34-18 scoring advantage in the paint.
"I feel like we are getting healthy and getting momentum," added Burke. "We are excited to be playing on Tuesday and look forward to the challenge."
