Success marks start of new year for Thoroughbreds

It was a perfect start to the new year for Skidmore’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, as both teams opened conference play with a pair of wins, while ice hockey opened the year with a pair of non-conference games.

Women’s basketball extended its winning streak to five games after beating  RIT and Vassar. The team used a second-half surge to pull away for a 67-54 victory over RIT on Friday. Angela Botiba ’15 had a game-high 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks and Amber Holgate ’16 contributed 16 points and five assists off the bench, shooting 6 of 9 from the floor. Botiba recorded her sixth double-double of the season on Saturday, producing 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the team to a 78-66 win over Vassar. Lindsey Davis ’15 scored 16 of her career-high 17 points in the first half and Molly McLaughlin ’15 tallied all 14 of her points in the second half, adding five assists. Holgate added 15 points, seven boards and four assists off the bench.

Martin Bedulskij ’18 led all scorers with a career-high 19 points in his first collegiate start, propelling men’s basketball to a 78-66 win over RIT on Friday. Erik Sanders ’16 had 11 points and nine rebounds and Royce Paris ’17 and Isaac Carp ’16 came off the bench to score 16 and 12 points, respectively. Aldin Mendunjanin ’16 scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in the second half of the team’s 69-64 victory against Vassar on Saturday. Medunjanin went 7 for 9 from the floor and 7 for 9 from the free throw line in the second half, scoring eight of the team’s final 10 points to seal the win. Bedulskij chipped in 13 points and Paris and Carp added nine points each. The Thoroughbreds host Bard at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9.

Ice hockey returned to action, suffering setbacks against Salve Regina and Nichols. The team battled hard to erase a 5-0 deficit against Salve Regina, but it could not find a way back, as the Seahawks held on for the 8-4 victory. Marc Cibelli ’17 netted two goals and Ondrej Krajnak ’15 had a goal and two assists. Cibelli and Krajnak put the Thoroughbreds in front 2-0 against Nichols, but the Bisons responded with six unanswered goals en route to a 7-3 win. Connor Pelkey ’18 potted a goal and Krajnak and Anthony Bird ’17 each had an assist, while Jack McDonald ’17 made 37 saves in goal. The team hosts Plattsburgh at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques