SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team is beginning to peak at just the right time, but a final group of regular season hurdles lie ahead in the form of a four-game road trip, beginning this weekend with visits to Liberty League foes Ithaca and Bard.
Skidmore (12-6, 10-2 Liberty League) will travel to Ithaca (9-9, 5-6) on Friday for a 7 p.m. start and will end the weekend at Bard (11-8, 7-5) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Thoroughbreds shot back up to first place in the Liberty League standings with a four-game winning streak. They feasted at home, defeating Bard, Ithaca, Union and RPI over the last two weekends. Skidmore can officially clinch a postseason berth with a win this weekend. Over the four game stretch, the defense has been brilliant, holding opponents to 62.5 points per game. Last Saturday, Skidmore held RPI to a season-low 50 points, the lowest point total by a Skidmore opponent since holding Bard to 39 points in 2015. In 12 league games, the Thoroughbreds lead the league in scoring defense (64.9 ppg) and rebounds allowed (31.5 rpg), and post the best scoring margin (10.3 ppg) and the second-best rebounding margin (6.1 rpg). The Thoroughbreds' defensive prowess will be tested in a pair of the league's top scoring teams in Ithaca (80.7 ppg) and Bard (78.5 ppg).
Skidmore is led by Liberty League-leading scorer
Noah Meren, averaging 21.7 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounds (6.5 rpg) and steals (1.5 spg).
Edvinas Rupkus has been on a tear over the last few games, averaging 22.0 points per game in his last three meetings. He shot a blistering 80.9 percent from the field last weekend, earning his
ninth Liberty League Performer of the Week award in his career. Rupkus is fourth in the league in scoring at 17.3 ppg, and is among the league leaders in field goal percentage (.505), 3-point shooting percentage (.460) and free throw percentage (.869).
Greg Skoric is third in scoring (7.5 ppg) and leads the team in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
Chase Ta leads the league in assists (5.3 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.7). He's averaged 6.3 assists per game in the month of January. Since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 18,
Ryan Murunge has averaged 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game.
Ithaca sits in fifth place in the league standings coming into the weekend. The Bombers halted a season-long, three-game losing streak last Saturday, defeating Union 85-69. Skidmore beat Ithaca in their previous meeting on Jan. 19 by a 75-66 score.
Along with leading the league in scoring offense, Ithaca leads the league in turnover margin (+6.72), assists (15.17 apg), and assist/turnover ratio (1.49). Individually, the Bombers have one of the league's best scoring threats in Riley Thompson (18.8 ppg). Sebastian Alderete isn't far behind at 15.8 ppg. Peter Ezema (13.2 ppg) rounds out the double-digit scorers. Ezema also leads the team in rebounding (8.3 rpg).
Bard is poised to make its first-ever postseason berth this year, sitting in fourth place in the league standings. The Thoroughbreds survived a fierce challenge from Bard in its previous meeting this season, winning 77-66 on Jan. 18. The Raptors have won three of their last four games since the loss to Skidmore, defeating Vassar, Clarkson, and Union. During the four-game stretch, Bard has allowed just 60.3 ppg to its opponents.
Leading Bard offensively is the quartet of Alijah Rue (16.9 ppg), Justyn Rogers (14.8 ppg), David Runcie (14.1 ppg), and Armando Dunn (13.3 ppg). Rogers leads the team in rebounds (7.8 rpg), while Rue leads the team in assists (4.7 apg). Rogers (.358, 29-made threes) and Stamatis Koulouris (.484) are the team's leading 3-point threats.
