SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The RIT (6-4, 0-1 Liberty League) women's basketball team began Liberty League play and rang in the 2015 calendar year on Friday with a 67-54 loss at Skidmore College. The Tigers went cold from the floor in the second half, scoring just 21 points.
Julia Bender (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) led RIT with 11 points, while
Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) added 10 points. Senior
Merissa Maiorano (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Mendon) tallied nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Tigers who shot 34.4 percent from the floor on 21-of-61 shooting. RIT made just 3-of-21 from behind the arc and were 9-of-12 from the foul line.
RIT came out firing in the first half, scoring the first eight points of the game. Bender gave the Tigers the 8-0 lead on her layup with 17:06 to play off a feed from
Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, NY/Wayland-Cohocton).
The Thoroughbreds responded with a run, taking a 15-13 lead at the 12:58 mark of the half on a three pointer from Amber Holgate. Skidmore would extend its lead to seven points when Angela Butiba laid in a basket with 7:40 to play, giving the Thoroughbreds a 25-19 lead.
RIT answered with a 10-4 run, tying the score at 29-29 when Bender converted 1-of-2 free throws with 2:35 to play. Both teams traded buckets at the end of the half, finishing tied 33-33. Bender, Glaz and
Abby Judd (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) each scored six points to pace RIT in the first half.
RIT led briefly in the second half when Maiorano scored at the 18:08 mark giving the Tigers a 37-36 advantage. RIT scored just 21 points in the second half, going 7-of-27 from the floor in the second half.
The Thoroughbreds led by as many as 15 points in the second half, outscoring RIT 34-21. Botiba led Skidmore with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Holgate added 16 points.
Skidmore held a 34-27 rebounding edge. The Tigers scored 18 points in the paint and 11 points off of 17 Thoroughbred turnovers.
RIT returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 3 when the Tigers face Rensselaer at 2 p.m. in Troy, N.Y.
