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TROY, N.Y. - Sophomore Megan Gaugler scored 22 points and senior Sharlyn Harper added 17 to lead Skidmore to a 58-49 victory over Rensselaer in a Liberty League women's basketball game at the East Campus Arena.  With the victory, the Thoroughbreds move into a first place tie with the Engineers.  Both teams are now 6-1 in the conference.  Overall RPI is now 11-7, while Skidmore is 14-3.

The game started out even as neither team had a lead of more than three points in the first seven minutes.  With the score tied at 14-14, Skidmore went on a 9-0 run for a 23-14 advantage with 2:28 left in the first half.  Gaugler (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) and Harper (New York, NY/Holderness) had eight of the nine points in the span.  RPI pulled back to within five points but the Thoroughbreds closed out the half with another run and led by nine, 28-19, at the break.

A jumper by Skidmore's Dana Leonard (Cooperstown, NY/Cooperstown) put the visitors ahead by 11 points to start the second half and then both teams went cold.  Following a 4:01 scoring drought, RPI got baskets by Lauren Hayes (Rensselaer, NY/Columbia) and Allison Connor (Hudson, NY/Hudson) to pull within six points at 14:04.  Skidmore got the next two baskets and led by no fewer than eight points the rest of the way.

Gaugler made 9 of 15 shots from the field, while also tallying two assists and a steal.  Harper added six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.  Leonard finished with three points and a team-best 10 rebounds.

For RPI, graduate student Whitney Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda) recorded another double-double, this time scoring 15 points with a game-high 11 rebounds.  She also had an assist and two blocked shots.  Sophomore Nicole Monroe (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) also had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Connor finished with 12 points.

The Engineers are back at home for a pair of Liberty League games next Friday (vs. Clarkson at 6pm) and Saturday (vs. St. Lawrence at 2pm).  Skidmore hosts Union on Tuesday night at 6pm.