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Rochester Institute of Technology defeated Skidmore in the Liberty League women's basketball tournament semifinals on Friday, February 27, 2026
RIT Athletics / Mikaela Engstrom
45
Skidmore SKD 12-15,9-9 Liberty League
53
Winner RIT RIT 20-6,16-2 Liberty League
Skidmore SKD
12-15,9-9 Liberty League
45
Final
53
RIT RIT
20-6,16-2 Liberty League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Skidmore SKD 10 12 10 13 45
RIT RIT 15 16 10 12 53

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball defeats Skidmore in Liberty League Tournament semifinals, 53-45

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Caroline Henderson scored a game-high 15 points to lead the RIT women's basketball team past six-seeded Skidmore, 53–45, in the Liberty League Tournament semifinals Friday evening. The two-seeded Tigers advance to face top-seeded Union in the championship game this Sunday at 1 p.m. in Schenectady, N.Y.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Junior forward Faye Kaplinski capped an early 11–4 run with a jumper at 6:28 in the first quarter, helping RIT build an 11–4 advantage.
  • RIT went on a 10–2 run, highlighted by a Henderson three at 2:40 to push the margin to 28–18.
  • Graduate student guard Sydney Pearson knocked down a three-pointer with 1:08 left in the half to give the Tigers their largest first-half lead at 31–20.
  • Erin DiPaola, a senior guard, buried a three-pointer at 6:46 of the third quarter to extend the lead to 34–25.
  • Ben Kayser‑Cochran hit a three with :59 left in the third to make it 41–32 heading into the fourth.
  • Skidmore rallied and pulled within two, 41–39, before Henderson responded with a huge three at 4:31 of the fourth to push the lead back to 44–40.
  • Pearson scored on a layup at 3:33 to make it 46–40 following a defensive stop.
  • The Thoroughbreds' Sara Hastie cut the RIT lead to 46–44 with 2:18 left, but the Tigers answered moments later.
  • Kayser‑Cochran drilled a clutch three‑pointer with 1:45 remaining, extending the RIT lead to 49–44 and swinging momentum back to the Tigers.
  • Junior guard Maddy Ramsgard iced the game with two free throws with 28 seconds remaining to push the Tigers ahead 51–44 before RIT closed out the 53–45 win.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Henderson led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three.
  • Ramsgard finished with a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds), while Kaplinski added eight points and four rebounds.
  • Keyser-Cochran finished with 10 points for the Tigers.
  • RIT shot 39.6 percent from the floor (19-of-48), including 9-of-25 from three.
  • The Tigers won the rebounding battle, 37–24.
  • The Tigers have now won 13-straight games, which is a program record.
  • RIT is making its first Liberty League Tournament championship game appearance since the 2018-19 season when the Tigers fell to Ithaca, 75-73, in overtime.
  • The win improved RIT to 20–6 overall.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT will travel to face Union in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship tournament on the line.