SCHENECTADY, NY – The Union College Men's basketball team topped Skidmore by a score of 78-67 on Friday night at the Viniar Athletic Center.
The Dutchmen improve to 10-6 on the season and move into fifth place in the Liberty League with a conference record of 6-4 as a result. Union has also won six of its last seven contests.
Early on, Union did a great job using pick-and-rolls, screens and a quick offense to get Skidmore out of position and score close baskets. Union's first eight points all came from layups or put-backs near the rim, which allowed the Dutchmen to possess an 8-7 lead at the 15:45 mark in the first half.
Freshman center
Rhona Eseyade made a name for himself last week when he had a handful of impressive blocks. Midway through the first quarter against Skidmore, he continued his dominance by recording two blocks within a 15-second span that got the home crowd off their feet.
Eseyade also helped extend the Union lead to 14-10 with 12 minutes left in the first half with a dunk following a quick move to shake a Skidmore defender and get a clear lane to the basket. Union lost the lead later, but senior guard
Kevin Weckworth had three back-to-back layups that gave Union a 21-20 lead with less than 6 minutes left in the half.
Weckworth hit a key three-pointer off an inbound pass that gave Union a 26-24 lead at the 18-minute mark in the first half. Union was able to hold the lead and ended the half up 29-28. Weckworth led Union in scoring in the first half with 12 points while he shot 45-percent from the field. Senior center
Greg King was second with six points, and led Union with six rebounds in the first half.
Just when it seemed like Skidmore was gaining momentum back in the second half and imposing to take the lead back, Union answered with back-to-back three-pointers that kept the shootout going and gave Union a 42-41 lead with 15:48 left in the contest.
Union maintained its lead for most of the game, building it to 12 following a nice floater layup by senior captain
Matt Liquori with three minutes remaining in the game that set the score at 75-62. The 12-point lead would prove to be Union's largest of the contest.
Union remains at home for a matchup against Ithaca tomorrow for a 4 p.m. (ET) tip off back at the Viniar Athletic Center.
