SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – A second-half surge propelled the Skidmore College men's basketball team to a thrilling 63-62 victory over Norwich in its home opener at the Williamson Sports Center on Wednesday evening.
In a back-and-forth contest that featured seven ties and 15 lead changes, the Thoroughbreds (2-0) were led by sophomore
Jacob Gooden, who scored 15 of his game-high 21 points after halftime, including the decisive free throw with five seconds remaining to hold off the Cadets (1-1). Skidmore outscored Norwich 39-32 in the second half to overcome a tough shooting night from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line.
FROM HEAD COACH JOE BURKE
"Proud of the toughness and grit we showed in the second half. I give a ton of credit to Norwich. Coach Booth is a heck of a coach and he has some tough dudes. They punched us in the mouth in first half and we had to respond. I thought our intensity and pressure in the second half allowed for the tempo of the game to change. It wasn't always pretty, but we started to get the pace we wanted and our guys made some plays in the last ten minutes.
"Always pleased with wins but we have so much to clean up. Super excited to play at home again this Saturday afternoon and to welcome back our Alumni. The guys that will be here helped build this culture and hung a lot of banners. We are looking forward to a fun day."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Skidmore held a narrow 15-11 advantage with 10:48 remaining in the first half following a back-and-forth start.
- Norwich put together the game's first significant run, using a 17-4 stretch to take a 28-19 lead with 3:20 left in the half.
- The Thoroughbreds cut the deficit to six, 30-24, at halftime behind a layup from senior Aidan Roy and three combined free throws from fellow senior Hakeem Daphnis and freshman Noah Williams in the closing minutes.
- Coming out of intermission, Skidmore used a 17-8 run, powered by six points apiece from Gooden and senior Nick Padilla, to tie the game at 41-41 with 9:58 remaining, before a layup from freshman Luc Brongniart on Skidmore's next possession gave the Thoroughbreds their first lead of the second half.
- Following a stretch featuring four ties and six lead changes, Skidmore put together a key 10-1 run, highlighted by six points from Gooden, to take the lead for good at 60-53 with 2:36 remaining.
- The Cadets refused to go away, pulling within one possession at 60-57 with 1:03 left after a free throw and a three-point play on a floater.
- With 47 seconds remaining, Williams knocked down a pull-up jumper off an assist from Brongniart, before Norwich responded with a layup to cut Skidmore's lead to 62-59.
- Padilla secured a key offensive rebound off a missed Roy three-pointer with six seconds remaining, setting up Gooden's trip to the line, where he made one of two free throws with five seconds left to extend the lead to 63-59.
STANDOUT THOROUGHBREDS
- Gooden finished with a game-high 21 points to go with two assists.
- Roy posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists.
- Williams scored 13 points off the bench to go with two assists and two steals.
- Padilla scored six points to go with four rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Thoroughbreds are back at the Williamson Sports Center on Saturday to host Purchase College at 3 PM. The game will also serve as Alumni Day for the program.Â
Â
