SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Interstat) — Tatum Leuenberger made two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining and visiting Williams held off Skidmore 72-68 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game at Sports & Recreation Center. Attendance was 275. Williams improved to 1-0, while Skidmore fell to 0-1.

Williams trailed 61-53 after Sara Hastie made two free throws with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Ephs answered with a 15-0 run and turned the deficit into a 68-61 lead. Micah Walton began the surge with a jump shot, Kathleen Smith followed with a jumper, Leuenberger hit a 3-pointer, Walton scored twice more, Sarah Pettegrove added a jumper and Kathleen Smith capped the run with a jump shot with 4:00 remaining. Skidmore did not fold. Audrey Bowen made a layup, Claudia Schneider converted a tip-in and a free throw, and Sophia Martinez made a layup with 12.5 seconds left to cut it to 70-68. Hanorah Murphy had made a pullup jumper for Williams at 1:11, and Leuenberger sealed it at the line.

Earlier, Walton opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Martinez answered with a layup and a free throw for Skidmore. Walton hit another 3, but Schneider answered from beyond the arc. Williams got baskets from Murphy, Pettegrove and Mairi Smith, and Pettegrove hit a 3 as the Ephs built an early lead. Skidmore closed the first-quarter scoring with Hastie’s driving layup and 3-pointer and Martinez’s layup.

Skidmore took control in the second quarter. Ruby Krop’s layup gave the Thoroughbreds a lead, and Martinez made free throws. Schneider and Rachel Carpenter hit 3-pointers to stretch Skidmore’s advantage. Amaya Chase-Luthra kept Williams close with a 3, a jumper and four free throws, and Mairi Smith tied the game at 30 with a free throw. Skidmore responded as Hastie made four free throws and a layup, Carpenter hit another 3, and Meghan Drury and Dani Deroian made free throws. Skidmore led 55-53 after three quarters after Carpenter and Chase-Luthra traded 3-pointers late in the third.

Schneider led Skidmore with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes. Chase-Luthra paced Williams with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 25 minutes. Hastie scored 16 points and added six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. Walton scored 16 points and had four rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes. Pettegrove finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes. Leuenberger added 12 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 32 minutes. Martinez had 19 points, one rebound and two assists in 26 minutes. Kathleen Smith scored 13 points and grabbed three rebounds in 30 minutes. Carpenter had 12 points and one assist in 18 minutes, and Mairi Smith finished with three points, three rebounds and one assist in 10 minutes.

Williams shot 27 of 61 from the floor, 7 of 16 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. Skidmore shot 21 of 54 overall, 9 of 18 from beyond the arc and 17 of 29 at the line. Each team had nine offensive rebounds. Williams had 11 assists and 19 turnovers; Skidmore had 12 assists and 15 turnovers. Skidmore scored 25 points off turnovers, and Williams scored 11. Williams held a 24-22 edge in points in the paint, and Williams had four blocks to Skidmore’s two. Williams scored 72 points from 78 possessions, while Skidmore scored 68 from 74 possessions.

Williams will host Roger Williams in its next game. Skidmore will host Wesleyan (Conn.) in its next game.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Williams 60, Skidmore 57. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Skidmore with a 83.6 percent probability to win.