Connor Merrill made 12-of-16 field goals to score a game-high 32 points, Tanner Brooks added 20 and Aldin Medunjanin put in 19 as host Skidmore College used a 13-0 second-half run to rally past SUNY Potsdam 87-74 in a nonconference men's basketball game on Tuesday night in Saratoga Springs.
The Bears (1-3) traded the lead back-and-forth with the Thoroughbreds (3-1) throughout the entire first half. Potsdam last led 51-50 with 16:04 remaining in the second half before Skidmore caught fire from three-point range to help give them a 12-point lead that it would not relinquish.
Four Bears' players scored in double figures with sophomore guard Joe Estramonte (Greenwich, N.Y. / Greenwich Central) leading the way with 13 points. Estramonte made a pair of 3-pointers to close out the half that gave Potsdam a 45-39 halftime advantage.
Senior Brandon Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Boys & Girls) and Colin Peterson (Hilton, N.Y. / Hilton) each totaled 11 points and Rishawd Hendricks (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Mount Zion Christian Academy) and Zac Adams (Potsdam, N.Y. / Potsdam) scored 10 apiece.
Skidmore was aided by the three-ball as the team made 16-of-34 from beyond the arc. Merrill hit 6-of-7 from that range, Brooks was 5-of-10 and Medunjanin made 3-of-6. Merrill also added 11 rebounds and three blocks while Brooks and Medunjanin combined for 16 assists.
Potsdam shot well once again at 46% from the floor (26-of-56), but struggled from the charity stripe by making just 15-of-26 at the line.
After Potsdam scored the game's first basket on an Adams layup, Skidmore went on an 11-0 run causing Bears' coach Sherry Dobbs to call for a timeout.
Later in the first half, Potsdam struck back with an 11-0 run of their own to take a 20-18 lead. The Bears got going when Tom Graf (Elbridge, N.Y. / Jordan-Elbridge) connected from downtown. The team followed that up with a lay in by Josh Blagrove (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Bishop For), another Adams layup, a Graf layup and a Brandon Williams jumper to retake a 20-18 lead.
Potsdam will be back in action on Tuesday 7 p.m. at St. Lawrence.