ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Caroline Henderson scored a game-high 15 points to lead the second-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) women's basketball team past sixth-seeded Skidmore College, 53-45, in the Liberty League Semifinals on Friday evening. The Tigers advance to face top-seeded Union in the championship game this Sunday in Schenectady, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Junior forward Faye Kaplinski capped an early 11-4 run for the Tigers 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.
- Sophomore 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 Skidmore's deficit to two (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 five, 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, March 1, with the Liberty League's automatic bid to NCAAs on the line.