Potsdam, NY – Thanks to a 25-for-29 performance from the free throw line and a healthy advantage in rebounds, Skidmore College defeated the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team 67-56 in Liberty League action Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights fell to 6-14 overall and 1-8 in the Liberty League, and will end a five-game homestand on Saturday against Union College. Skidmore moved to 7-13 overall and 4-5 in conference games.
The first few minutes saw a rash of missed opportunities by both teams as neither could make their lay ups. After seven minutes, the team settled in by making outside shots. In fact, both made a better percentage of 3-pointers than from inside the arc. The Knights made four 3-pointers, including a pair from Katie Goldberg (Stowe, VT), while Skidmore made three, though the Thoroughbreds shot just 5-for-28 on two-point attempts. Skidmore stayed in the game, and had the lead at the half, thanks to a dominating performance on the boards, including 15 offensive rebounds.
Freshman Carey Turner (Clifton Park, NY) led the Knights with seven points in the first half, while classmate Amanda Koenck (Pottstown, PA) contributed six points and Goldberg added six more. Dana Leonard led Skidmore with 13 points and 9 rebounds, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. The rest of the team shot just 12.5 percent from the floor.
Starting off the second half, Skidmore hit the ground running offensively, going on a 14-1 run over the course of four and a half minutes to push its lead to 14 points. Though Clarkson would limit the Thoroughbreds advance from that point, the Knights were unable to cut into the lead much as the two teams traded points back and forth for most of the half. Just as the Knights had cut the lead to single digits late in the game with a modest run, Leonard was able to make a lay up as Skidmore broke the Clarkson press. In the final minute, Leonard was able to hold off the Knights late charge by continuing to make four free throws.
Turner finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Freshman Chrissy Scanlon (Queensbury, NY) also had 10 points and 6 rebounds for Clarkson.
Leading the way for the Thoroughbreds with a massive double-double was Dana Leonard, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds, shooting a ridiculous 16-for-17 from the free throw line. Kellye Caufield also had 12 points and 7 rebounds for Skidmore.
