SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Junior Jelena Perovic led three Garnet Chargers in double figures with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Union College women’s basketball team won a fourth straight Liberty League game with a 74-57 victory over Skidmore College on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
Perovic matched her season-high in points and career-high in rebounds in the win, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the field and also dishing out three assists. Junior Grace Ceseretti just missed a double-double with 15 points and a career-high nine boards, and senior Jenna Forman hit 6-of-8 shots on the way to a 14-point afternoon. Junior Grace Arcoleo also chipped in a career-best eight assists for Union (8-5, 5-1 Liberty League).
Sarah Chambers posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Skidmore (5-7, 3-2 Liberty League), followed by Madison Meyer with 10 points.
The Union defense held its opponent under 30.0 percent shooting for the sixth time in the last seven outings against Division III squads, limiting Skidmore to 20-of-67 shooting. The Garnet Chargers also dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Thoroughbreds by a commanding 54-30 margin, including a 40-20 edge on the defensive glass.
Offensively, Union shot 49.2 percent (31 of 63) from the field and used its huge edge on the glass to boast a 14-3 edge in second-chance points, helping to overcome the team’s 18 turnovers.
Riley got the scoring started with a layup in the opening seconds, but Skidmore held an advantage for a majority of the frame until a three by junior Kate Peek with 3:09 left. After Skidmore responded with a three of its own, Ceseretti nailed a pair of shots from long range to put the Garnet Chargers up 17-12, and the home team went into the second with a 17-14 lead.
After shooting 53.8 percent (7 of 13) in the first period, Union connected on 12-of-19 shots (63.2 percent) in the second stanza to increase its lead to 42-31 at the break. Six different players had baskets for Union in the period, led by Perovic with seven points and both Forman and Ceseretti with six each. The home team started the frame on a 10-3 run to take its first double-digit lead after a Forman layup with 6:18 left made the score 27-17.
Skidmore closed the gap to five early in the third period with a 6-0 run to make the score 42-37, but Union came back with a huge 14-2 run, capped by a bucket from first-year Olivia Cunningham to put Union up 56-39 with 3:58 on the clock. The home team went into the final frame with a 14-point edge and closed the door with a 10-2 start to the fourth, with the lead reaching as many as 22 after a layup by senior Claudia Porto with 2:58 remaining.
Union will look to keep the momentum going next weekend, beginning with a Friday night matchup against St. Lawrence University beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.
Related News :