SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's basketball team filled the win category in the Liberty League standings with an 82-71 win against Vassar College on Tuesday evening.
 

• The win improves Skidmore's record to 3-9 and 1-5 in the Liberty League. Vassar is 5-8 and 3-3.
• Skidmore's season-high scoring output was fueled by three players in double figures, led by first-year Aidan Roy. The Thoroughbred guard had 23 points on a 7-for-15 night shooting. He also had six rebounds, which matched the team high, and a steal.
• Nick Padilla, another first-year, had 17 points with three rebounds and an assist.
• Junior Jake Walsh finished with 12 points and five assists with three rebounds and a steal.
• First-year Hakeem Daphnis scored 10 and had four steals and three rebounds.
• As a team, Skidmore shot 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from beyond the arc and maintained the lead by swooshing 13-of-14 free-throw attempts in the second half. The Thoroughbreds finished the game 28-of-60 (46.7 percent) overall from the field.
• Vassar never led despite a seven-point run in the first half to tie the game at nine right after Skidmore opened by scoring seven out of the contest's first nine points.
• Skidmore later used a seven-point unanswered run and took a four-point lead, 35-31, into the half.
• Skidmore bumped its lead up to nine in the early stages of the second half. The Brewers held around until a JP Miranda 3-pointer with 11:15 remaining tied the game up at 53.
• Skidmore got buckets in each of its next three possessions, including bombs from Prince Shyllon and Roy, to jump ahead by seven just made the mid-way point of the half.
• Vassar cut its deficit to two on a pair of occasions down the stretch, but Skidmore answered with the next point both times to keep the visitors away.
• Skidmore was a perfect 6-for-6 in free throws over the final 63 seconds to thwart any chance of a last-minute comeback.
• Skidmore has defeated Vassar in three out of the last four meetings since the Brewers defeated the Thoroughbreds in the 2022 Liberty League title game.
• Head coach Joe Burke: "Great effort tonight. Happy for the guys to get a much needed victory. Vassar is a good, well coached team and I thought the game was competitive on both ends. We have a long way to go as a team and we know that, when you have eight freshmen and two really good players out it is to be expected. These guys don't make excuses and keep coming to the gym everyday to improve individually and collectively. We will get there and the W's will come."

NEXT UP: Skidmore hits the road this weekend for games at RIT and Hobart.