SAINTS EDGE SKIDMORE 48-47 IN CONFERENCE ACTION

Feb. 9: The St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team pulled out another close contest Saturday afternoon as the Saints went 2-0 over the weekend and edged Skidmore College 48-47 in Liberty League action at the Sports and Recreation Center in Saratoga Springs, NY.

The win leaves St. Lawrence (17-4, 7-3) 3-0 in third place in the conference, while Skidmore (12-9, 5-5) moves to fifth.

The Saints started out the contest with junior Lauren Sischo (Rodman, NY/South Jefferson) making two free throws, but Skidmore followed with a 10-0 run to propel them ahead of the Saints 10-2 with 15:31 left on the clock in the first.

The visiting team sent a strong message to their hosts by making three consecutive three-point shots in their own 9-2 streak, which concluded with senior co-captain Kim Sikule (Westerlo, NY/Berne-Knox Westerlo) making a lay-up off a fast break to give St. Lawrence a 13-12 lead with 12:24 left in the half, the Saints’ first lead of the contest.

Skidmore quickly regained a slight edge over the Saints, but the Scarlet and Brown was able to keep it a two-possession game down the stretch until a Thoroughbred free throw by Christine Kemp with 17 seconds left in the half gave Skidmore a seven point lead, ending the period with a 25-18 edge over St. Lawrence.

The Thoroughbreds continued to extend their lead as the second half began, earning as much as a nine-point advantage before the Saints went on a 15-4 run to regain control of the game with 11:43 remaining. The two teams fought throughout the next few minutes, as the contest then saw four more lead changes before St. Lawrence would jump out ahead after a three from Sischo. Skidmore didn’t allow St. Lawrence to gain anything bigger than a six-point lead and was able to cut it down to just one point less than a second left on the clock, but the buzzer sounded, giving the Saints a close 48-47 win.

A tough Skidmore defense kept St. Lawrence from taking a lot of shots within the paint, as St. Lawrence only scored 10 of their points from the key. The Thoroughbreds forced the Saints to take nearly half their shots from three-point range, where St. Lawrence shot 35-percent.

Sischo led St. Lawrence with 12 points, shooting 3-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc, as well as 4-for-6 from the line. She also had five assists and three rebounds. Both Sikule and her co-captain, senior Jamie Wolff ( Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) added 11 points each to the Saints’ efforts, with Sikule grabbing a game-high five steals as well as six rebounds. Eight of Wolff’s 11 points came in the second half to help the Scarlet and Brown overcome their halftime deficit. The guard also added four boards.

The Saints return to action next Friday as they host William Smith in Burkman Gymnasium. Friday’s game marks St. Lawrence’s celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm.