ROCHESTER, NY – The Skidmore College men's basketball team fell to a game-winner by RIT with four seconds remaining, dropping a 57-55 decision to close out the regular season Saturday afternoon.

Despite the loss, the Thoroughbreds (13-12, 9-9 Liberty League) will return to the postseason for the first time since 2023, earning the No. 6 seed to cap a strong regular season. Skidmore led for much of the contest in a defensive battle where neither team found much offensive rhythm, shooting 22-of-61 from the field (3-of-24 from three) compared to RIT's 24-of-61 effort (5-of-17 from beyond the arc). In the end, however, it was the Tigers (7-18, 4-14 Liberty League) who made the final push with a 10-4 run, capped off with the game winner in the closing seconds to secure the victory.

"Tough result tonight. We led and controlled a majority of the game, but I thought we ran out of gas a little bit at the end. We missed a lot of shots we normally make — and I'm confident that we'll make them going forward. This is a tough trip. We had a really hard win last night and just couldn't duplicate the effort today," said head coach Joe Burke.

"We're super excited to be back in the playoffs where we belong. Tuesday will be against a very good opponent, but it's a winnable game if we play the way we're capable. These guys will be locked in and ready to roll."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After RIT jumped out to a 7-2 lead, Skidmore seized control with an 18-2 run, capped by a layup from junior Nick Padilla, to take a 20-9 advantage with 9:53 remaining in the half.
• The surge was fueled by a red-hot 7-of-8 shooting stretch, including two three-pointers, while forcing four Tiger turnovers, three of which came via steals.
• RIT responded with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits and regained momentum, trimming the lead to 26-24 with 1:30 left before halftime.
• Skidmore answered with layups from junior Aidan Roy and Padilla to carry a 30-24 lead into the break.
• At intermission, Roy, Padilla and freshman Will Wertz paced a balanced scoring effort with six points apiece. In a defensive battle, neither team shot well, as Skidmore finished the half 13-of-31 from the field and 2-of-14 from three-point range, while RIT shot 10-of-30 overall and 1-of-9 from deep.
• The Thoroughbreds extended their lead to double digits early in the second half, building a 44-34 cushion at the 11:03 mark.
• RIT, however, answered with an 8-0 burst to make it a one-possession game and kept it within two possessions the rest of the way. The Tigers closed the contest on a 10-4 run over the final five minutes, capped by a game-winning layup with four seconds remaining — aided by a pair of missed Skidmore free throws down the stretch.

STANDOUT THOROUGHBREDS

• Padilla scored 11 points with six rebounds.
• Senior Joey Skoric pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds to go with five points.
• Wertz scored eight points off the bench.

UP NEXT
Back in the postseason, the Thoroughbreds will travel out to third-seeded Vassar on Tuesday in round one of the Liberty League Playoffs. Tip-off time is still yet to be determined.