SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's basketball team brushed off a sluggish start with stifling defense and a balanced attack to overpower visiting Bard, 54-29, Friday night at the Williamson Sports Center.

• Skidmore (5-10, 3-5 Liberty League) limited the Raptors to just 25.6 percent shooting from the field, forcing difficult looks throughout the night and controlling the tempo on the defensive end. Skidmore forced 30 Raptor turnovers with 15 steals.
• Skidmore showcased its depth, with 11 players finding the scoring column and the bench accounting for a significant portion of the offensive output. Skidmore had a 15-4 advantage in bench points, while outscoring the visitors 22-6 off turnovers and 28-8 in the paint.
• Claudia Schneider led the way with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and two steals for the Thoroughbreds.
• Sophia Martinez finished with 10 points, while Madison Meyer had eight. Meyer added four assists. Sara Hastie also had four assists.
• Ruby Krop anchored the interior defense with three blocks and eight rebounds to go with her six points on an efficient 3-of-5 night from the field.
• Bard led or was tied for all but 17 seconds in the opening period. Then, the Raptors went on a 5-0 run in the second quarter to lead by as many as seven by the middle of the stanza.
• The Thoroughbreds ended the half on a 15-1 run jumpstarted by a Meyer 3-pointer and punctuated by a Schneider layup with seven seconds left for a seven-point Skidmore lead at the half. The Thoroughbreds shot 47.1 percent (8-of-17) in the third while holding Bard to 2-of-12.
• Skidmore continued the momentum into the third quarter as its scoring run extended to 19 in a row.
• The Thoroughbreds finished with an 11-6 fourth quarter for the 54-29 final.
•  Meghan Drury, Haley McCarthy, Hastie, and Krop recorded fourth-quarter field goals.
• Aislynn Dixon registered seven points and five assists to pace the Raptors.
• Shirley Don't had six points and a game-high five steals.

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Skidmore will return home on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to host Union at 5:30 p.m.