SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It is one thing to reach the top of the mountain, and it is another thing to stay there. That's the goal for the Skidmore College women's basketball team heading into the 2023-24 season.
 
Last year's Thoroughbred squad did something that no Skidmore women's basketball team had done previously: win an NCAA Tournament game. Skidmore accomplished that feat with a dramatic come-from-behind 62-59 victory over Johns Hopkins in March in the opening round. That one game after a 54-52 triumph over Ithaca to capture the program's third Liberty League title, first since 2018. But now, after all of the pageantry, eyes are focused on the future.
 
The Schedule: Skidmore opens its title defense season on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at home against Russell Sage. The Thoroughbreds will play their following five games on the road, which includes the Trinity Tip-off Tournament Nov. 17-18, before returning to the Williamson Sports Center to host Clarkson and St. Lawrence Dec. 1-2 to open Liberty League play. Skidmore will play four straight home games as the calendar turns (Dec. 31, Jan. 5, 6, 9) and then six in a row on the road prior to closing the home slate on a four-game homestand Feb. 2-3 against Ithaca and Bard then Feb. 9-10 vs. William Smith (Big Green Scream) and RIT.
 
Last Season: Skidmore finished with a 23-6 overall record last season and went 16-2 in the Liberty League to finish second in regular season standings. The Thoroughbreds earned a first-round bye before hosting Vassar in the Semifinal, a 77-66 Thoroughbred win. Skidmore scored 63.3 points per game while limiting opponents to 52.3 points.
 
Liberty League Tournament: The First Round of the Liberty League Tournament will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 20 followed by the Semifinal on Friday, Feb. 23 and the Championship on Sunday, Feb. 25.
 
Back: Skidmore returns 11 players to the roster from last year's squad, including All-Liberty League First Team and All-Region Third Team honoree Julia Blanck, who is back for her senior season.
 
Incoming: The Thoroughbreds welcome four first-year players to the roster for 2023-24.
 
The Staff: The Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year, led by head coach and Region III Coach of the Year Jessica Turner, returns with assistant coach Dariah Duncan and the return of assistant coach Richard Ziegler.     
 
From head coach Jessica Turner:
"I'm really excited about the direction of our program. The team returned to campus with a growth mindset, which lead to a really great preseason. It's been really awesome to see each player come to practice every day with the desire to learn, get better and continue to build on what we've accomplished thus far as a program."