ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY – The Skidmore College men's basketball team jumped out to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes and never looked back, earning a dominant 74–52 wire-to-wire road victory over Bard on Saturday afternoon.

The Thoroughbreds (10-11, 6-8 Liberty League) were led by the junior guard duo of Aidan Roy and Nick Padilla, who combined for 34 points and seven assists, as Skidmore controlled the game offensively by converting 22-of-27 free throws. Defensively, Skidmore held the Raptors (1-20, 0-14 Liberty League) to just 4-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc and forced more Bard turnovers (11) than assists (10) in a strong team effort.

Currently tied with Clarkson for the sixth seed in the Liberty League playoff race, Skidmore enters a pivotal final stretch of the regular season, beginning with a key matchup against the Golden Knights next Friday before hosting current fourth-seed St. Lawrence in a Big Green Scream showdown on Saturday.

"Great team effort by the guys tonight. We had a terrific weekend, then faced some adversity during the week. We knew we needed to regroup today, get it done, and we did," said Joe Burke.

"With four games left, we're treating every one like a playoff game. This weekend should be an incredible atmosphere at home with so much on the line — plus the Big Screen Scream and the chance to honor our three outstanding seniors."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Skidmore started fast, jumping out to an immediate 13-2 lead at the 15:40 mark as junior Jack LaGarde scored a quick six points to lead the way.
• After the Raptors cut the lead down to four at 13–9, the Thoroughbreds answered with an extended 20–8 run—capped off by three consecutive three-pointers from senior Charlie Weisberg and junior Charlie Fantom—to build a 33–17 lead with 3:52 remaining.
• Leading 36-25 at intermission, the Thoroughbreds limited Bard to 9-of-25 shooting and just 2-of-11 from beyond the arc, with Roy leading the scoring effort with nine points.
• The Thoroughbreds kept their foot on the pedal coming out of halftime, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the second half by controlling the game at the free-throw line after converting 21-of-25 attempts, while also holding the Raptors to 11-of-32 shooting from the field on the defensive end.
• Skidmore's strong closing half featured an 11–1 run midway through the period, extending the lead to a game-high 62–39 with 5:44 to play that essentially proved too much for Bard to overcome and sealed the road win.

STANDOUT THOROUGHBREDS

• Roy scored a game-high 21 points to go with five rebounds.
• Padilla recorded 13 points with a game-best six assists and four rebounds.
• Fantom tallied eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• LaGarde scored six points with a team-best nine rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Thoroughbreds are back home next Friday to host Clarkson in a 7:30 PM matchup.