Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men’s and women's basketball teams are off to fast starts this season and rank among the tops in Division III in many team and individual categories.
Out of 405 Division III teams, the Skidmore men rank 4th in turnover margin (8.1), 5th in three-point field goals per game (10.1) and 7th in assist to turnover ratio (1.4). The Thoroughbreds also rank among the top 30 in assists per game, winning percentage, scoring offense, turnovers per game and scoring margin.
For the individuals, sophomore Gerard O’Shea (West Sand Lake, N.Y./Averill Park) ranks 21
st with 5.8 assists per game and ranks second in assist to turnover ratio (5.11), trailing just Will Cornett of St. John Fisher (6.67). Senior Jon Douglas (Amherst, Mass.) is shooting 53.7% from beyond the arc, ranking him
8
th in the country and Jeff Altimar (Medfield, Mass.) is 14
th in free throw percentage, shooting 94.1%.
At 6-0, the women's team is just one of 25 undefeated teams out of 424 teams. Defense has been the story for Skidmore, ranking 9th in scoring defense, allowing just 48.2 points per game. They also rank 23rd in three point field goal defense (21.5), 31st in field goal percentage defense (32.6%) and 36th in steals per game (31.5).
Sophomore Megan Gaugler (Amsterdam, N.Y.) ranks 23rd among Division III players with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio.
The men return to action on January 3, when they travel to Vermont to take on Castleton at 4 p.m., while the women will resume play on Saturday, January 3 when they take on unbeaten Bowdoin in the first day of the Coastal Maine Classic.