Winter sports season heads into final stretch

As the Skidmore winter sports season heads into its final stretch, women’s and men’s basketball stayed in the playoff hunt, each recording a conference win. Ice hockey suffered two tough ECAC East losses at the hands of Saint Michael’s and No. 1 Norwich.

Angela Botiba ’15 scored 12 points in a heartbreaking 58-56 loss against RIT, becoming the program’s 13th 1,000-point scorer. She went a perfect 6 for 6 from the field, also adding eight rebounds. Botiba gave the team a 56-55 lead with 1:25 to play, but the Tigers knocked down the game-winning shot with three seconds left. Amber Holgate ’16 and Migle Vilunaite ’17 had big games off the bench, contributing 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Molly McLaughlin ’15 chipped in six points and 10 assists in the loss. The team shot a season-high 55.6 percent (10-18) from 3-point range in a 73-60 victory Friday over William Smith. Lindsey Davis ’16 scored a team-high 17 points, going 4 for 5 from the beyond the arc in the first half and 5 for 8 for the game. Botiba had 11 points and seven rebounds and McLaughlin produced 10 points, five assists and three steals. The Thoroughbreds, currently second in the conference standings, host Liberty League leader St. Lawrence at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. 

Men’s basketball bounced back from Friday’s 66-56 defeat at Hobart with a 73-64 win Saturday at RIT. Connor Merrill ’15 climbed to ninth on Skidmore’s all-time career scoring list with a team-high 22 points against the Statesmen. Aldin Medunjanin ’16 had 11 points and nine rebounds and Royce Paris ’17 added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Medunjanin and Erik Sanders ’16 propelled the team to victory against RIT, combining for 25 second-half points. The team shot 50 percent (14-28) from the field in the second half, including 42.9 percent (6-14) from 3-point range to pull away for good. Medunjanin finished with 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Sanders tallied 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Merrill had a game-high 19 points on 6 of 8 shooting, also recording six rebounds and four blocks. The team hosts St. Lawrence at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Jack McDonald ’17 made a season-high 48 saves against Saint Michael’s, but it was not enough as the Thoroughbreds could not find the back of the net, falling 1-0. The team rallied to take a 3-2 lead over top-ranked Norwich, but the Cadets responded with four unanswered goals to skate away with the 6-3 win. Marc Cibelli ’17 got the team on the board in the first period and second-period goals by David Limoges ’15 and Connor Pelkey ’18 gave Skidmore a 3-2 advantage. Norwich tied the game with just over three minutes remaining in the period before adding three goals in the third. The team closes out the regular season with a pair of games against Castleton. The Thoroughbreds travel to Castleton Friday, Feb. 13, before returning home for their final home game at 4 p.m. Feb. 14. ~ By Dan St.-Jacques