SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team held the lead for two-thirds of the contest, but Skidmore College closed the game on a 9-0 run to outlast the Garnet Chargers by the score of 57-50 in a tight Liberty League battle on Friday evening at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Sophomore Jelena Perovic and junior Jenna Forman provided much of the offense for Union (6-12, 5-6 Liberty League) on the night, combining for 29 points. Perovic recorded her third double-double in the last four games with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Forman went 6-for-6 from the field on the way to a 14-point night.
 
Julia Blanck led a balanced Skidmore (14-4, 9-2 Liberty League) attack with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Becca Horger and Amelia Medolla chipped in eight points apiece.
 
Union shot 45.8 percent over the opening 20 minutes and went into halftime with a 28-24 lead, but Skidmore managed to stay in the game thanks to a decisive edge on the boards, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and taking 15 more shots than the Garnet Chargers. Union grabbed the first bit of momentum by scoring the final five points of the first period and starting the second with a Forman layup to take a 16-8 lead, the largest of the game for either side. The Garnet Chargers maintained their lead throughout the second stanza, taking a four-point lead into the break after a Perovic jumper in the final minute.
 
Union led by eight again after a Forman three and a free throw by senior Kennedy Clark early in the third, but six straight points by Blanck quickly tied the score at 32. Skidmore grabbed its first lead since early in the first period with a 7-0 run late in the frame, taking a 39-36 lead before Perovic got the home team within one headed to the fourth.
 
The teams exchanged the lead six times in the final period, as the game remained within one possession for most of the stanza. Junior Emma Riley capped a quick 5-0 run with a floater in the lane that put Union up 48-45 with 2:36 left, and Perovic responded to a Skidmore three with a layup that gave the home team a 50-48 lead with 1:59 on the clock. However, that was the last bucket scored by Union on the night, as the Garnet Chargers missed their last four shots from the field and allowed Skidmore to score the final nine points, including a back-breaking three by Medolla with 39 seconds left that made it a two-possession game.
 
Union shot the ball well on the night, finishing at 42.2 percent (19 of 45) compared to Skidmore's 28.2 percent (20 of 71) shooting, but the Thoroughbreds grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and fired up 26 more shots to force their way to a win. Skidmore also won the turnover battle 16-4, giving the visitors even more chances at the net.
 
Union will look to shake off the loss tomorrow, when the team hosts Ithaca College in a Liberty League matchup beginning at 3 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.