SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a weekend sweep, the Skidmore College men's basketball team looks toward a crucial week of Liberty League contests, beginning with a visit from Vassar on Tuesday.
Skidmore and Vassar will battle at the Williamson Sports Center on Tuesday at 8 p.m., the second game of a basketball doubleheader. Admission to the game is free.
Live stats and
video will be available.
The Thoroughbreds (11-8, 7-6 Liberty League) jumped back into the thick of the league race after a pair of important victories against Ithaca and Bard last weekend. On Friday, Skidmore rode a hot start to an 80-59 blowout of Ithaca in the first game back after a seven-game road trip. Five players –
Edvinas Rupkus,
Jack Byrne,
Noah Meren,
Dakpe Yiljep, and
Chase Ta – each scored in double digits. Against Saturday, the Thoroughbreds erased an 11-point second half deficit, leading to a 76-71 victory against Bard. Skidmore's 'D' was strong in the second half as Bard shot just 29 percent from the field to lead the comeback.
Rupkus tallied 20 points in each of the two games last weekend, moving closer to an important career milestone. With 1,484 points, Rupkus is just 16 points away from the 1,500-point plateau. He will become the fifth player and first junior in program history to amass 1,500 points in his career. He is currently fifth on the all-time list with 1,484 points.
Rupkus, the all-time leader in points in a season with 580, currently leads the league in scoring with 22.3 points per game, shooting the rock at just under 50 percent from the field (49.5%) and 84.4 percent from the free throw line. He is also passing the ball well, with a career-best mark of 3.6 assists per game. Ta leads the league in assists at 4.8 and sports the best assist/turnover ratio at 1.9. Ta has also upped his scoring production, averaging 13.8 points per game over the past four contests. Yiljep is second in scoring (14.2) and rebounds (5.4) and Meren is third in both categories (10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds).
Vassar (6-14, 5-8 Liberty League) is currently eighth in the league standings, sitting two games back of the final playoff spot. Last weekend, the Brewers earned a split after a victory against Bard and a loss to Union.
Vassar is second in the league in field goal percentage at .466 and leads the league with 15 assists per game. Individually, Jesse Browne leads the team with 15.2 points and 3.3 assists. Paul Grinde is second in scoring at 13.9, but leads the starters in shooting percentage (57.1) and rebounding (7.2).
In their last matchup earlier in the season, Vassar gave Skidmore its first league loss, a 63-46 decision in Poughkeepsie on Jan. 9.
