SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –The Skidmore College women's basketball team has a chance to shoot up the ranks of a crowded Liberty League postseason race, as the defending league champs begin a stretch of six of seven home games at the Williamson Sports Center this weekend.
 
The Thoroughbreds (3-9, 2-3 Liberty League) host RIT (8-3, 3-2 Liberty League) in a rematch of last season's Liberty League title game on Friday at 5 p.m. and will end the weekend against William Smith (6-5, 2-3 Liberty League) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Live stats and video are available for both games.
 
Skidmore, RIT, and William Smith are locked into a logjam in the Liberty League standings early on, where seven teams are separated by just one game. Last weekend, the Thoroughbreds split on the road, defeating RPI by a 55-47 score, but fell to Union 60-47.
 
As a team, Skidmore is 24^th in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, with opponents shooting a paltry 23.9 percent from beyond the arc. On the offensive end, the Thoroughbreds have gotten a breakout season from Jessica Centore. The junior guard leads the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game, while sitting among the league leaders with 2.3 steals. She's second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game and leads the team with eight blocked shots. Haley English is second on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game, and leads the team in assists (2.7) and free throw shooting (.778). Sydney Tsutsui is Skidmore's deep threat, shooting .349 from 3-point range. She's third in scoring at 7.8 points per game. Taylor Ong, named to the Liberty League Honor Roll this past Monday, averages 6.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and is second with 1.3 steals per game.
 
RIT comes into the weekend after suffering a setback against Ithaca, its first home loss of the season. The Tigers, ranked 25^th in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) rankings, have dropped three of four after a 7-0 start.
 
Four of RIT's five starters average double-figure scoring marks, led by Sabrina Wolfe, last season's All-Liberty League Rookie team selection. She averages 14.7 points per game to go along with her 7.1 rebounds per game. The pulse of this RIT team revolves around WBCA All-American guard Cori Okada. She's second in scoring at 14.5 points per game, but leads the team (and league) in assists with 5.3 assists per game and is the team's top 3-point threat, hitting 43.1 percent of her shots. Tara Lynch (12.4 ppg) and Brooke Stanley (11.9 ppg) round out the double-digit scorers. Alyssa Juergens leads the team in rebounds with 7.5 boards per game.
 
Skidmore won two out of three games last year against RIT, including a 70-64 overtime thriller and a 65-42 victory in the Liberty League Championship game, both at the Williamson Sports Center.
 
William Smith has won back-to-back league games after a surprising 0-3 start. The Herons will take on Bard Friday night before making the trip up to Skidmore Saturday afternoon.
 
The strength of this William Smith team lies in its control of the paint. The Herons are second in the league in rebounding, averaging 47.1 boards a game, including 16.0 offensive rebounds. William Smith has the second-best rebounding margin in the league at +11.5.
 
Mia Morrison is the key paint presence for the Herons, leading the team with 19.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She's flanked by guards Juliana Gamboa (12.0 ppg) and Stavriana Dimitrakopoulou (11.6 ppg). Gamboa leads the team in assists (3.9 apg) while Dimitrakopoulou leads the team in 3-point baskets made (32) and is second in rebounds (5.7 rpg).
 
Skidmore and William Smith have split the last four games between the teams over the past two seasons, with each team winning at home.