SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's basketball team will get a chance to defend its Liberty League title, clinching a postseason berth after a dominating 61-43 victory over Clarkson, in Liberty League action at the Williamson Sports Center Friday afternoon.
 
Skidmore (8-16, 7-10 Liberty League) will be the sixth seed in the upcoming tournament and will travel to either Ithaca, RIT, William Smith, or Vassar in the first round. Skidmore also earns the season sweep over Clarkson (7-17, 4-13), who was officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
 
Jessica Centore and Kate McCarney each tallied 13 points to lead the Thoroughbreds. Centore added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while McCarney added a career-high eight rebounds. Taylor Ong tallied nine points and five rebounds. Haley English seven points and 10 rebounds, and Lilly Berg chipped in seven points and nine rebounds. Skidmore outrebounded Clarkson by a 45-33 margin, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds.
 
Molly Stewart led Clarkson with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, but the Thoroughbreds made her work for those points, forcing the team's leading scorer to 4-of-24 shooting from the field. Emma Buonanno added 11 points off the bench. Skidmore held the Golden Knights to 27.3 percent (15-of-55) shooting from the field in the contest.
 
The Thoroughbreds managed an early lead at the end of the first quarter, before Clarkson raced to the lead midway through the second. Down six (21-15) with 5:38 to go in the opening half, Berg tipped in her own miss a minute later, igniting a 7-0 Skidmore run. Skidmore took a 22-21 lead just under the two-minute mark after a solid defensive play by McCarney led to the fast break basket by Centore.
 
Clarkson took a brief lead thereafter, but Centore knocked down the trey with 53 seconds left to retake the lead, and Mary Kate Palleschi beat the buzzer with a corner three, giving Skidmore a 28-23 lead into the half.
 
Skidmore put the game away in the third quarter with an incredible defensive display, holding Clarkson without a made field goal in the period. Up 32-27 at the 5:44 mark, a McCarney layup kick-started a back-breaking, 12-0 run over a 5:08 stretch. An English free throw with 36 seconds left ended the run, giving Skidmore a 17-point, 44-27 lead.
 
The Thoroughbreds continued to flummox the Golden Knight offense, stretching their lead to as many as 20 points. Skidmore outscored Clarkson 17-15 to finish the game, holding the Clarkson offense to 6-of-26 shooting (23.1 percent) in the second half.
 
With a postseason spot in hand, Skidmore will finish the regular season with the Big Green Scream tomorrow, as the Thoroughbreds host St. Lawrence at 2 p.m. Clarkson will host RPI tomorrow, also at 2 p.m. Skidmore will honor seniors English, Ong, and Kayla Mitchell before the contest.