Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 9, 2008) – Though the Vassar College women's basketball team hung around for the first 20 minutes of action against Western Connecticut State University, it could not answer the visitor's deep bench, dropping a 75-41 decision on Tuesday at the Athletics & Fitness Center. Vassar kept within three points of Western Connecticut for the first 16 minutes of the game, but could not fend off foul trouble and the fatigue of playing with a short roster.

The Brewers head into nearly a month-long break with a 1-5 record. Vassar will not play again until January 6 and 7, when they will travel to Chicago, IL, for games against Elmhurst College and North Park University, respectively. The Colonials improve to 6-2, stretching their winning streak to five games.

The Brewers opened the first half by going on a 10-2 run, during which the team repeatedly fed the ball down low to its two starting forwards. Junior Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and freshman Kristyn Tempora (Marlboro, NJ/St. John Vianney) combined for all 10 of the Brewers' points during the run. However, over the next seven minutes the Brewers could not get another shot from the field to fall and the Colonials took advantage, cutting the lead down to one with under eight minutes remaining in the half.

As the half wore on, the Brewers wore down. Three of Vassar's starters had to sit out significant minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble. At the end of the half, Haeuser and Tempora had three fouls apiece while sophomore starting guard Carolyn Crampton (Reading, MA/Reading Memorial) picked up her fourth foul with 1:22 left in the half. Meanwhile, the Colonials benefited from a large roster of 15 players and were able to sub players in and out to avoid foul trouble and fatigue. Despite 12 first half points by Vassar freshman guard Brittany Parks (Escondido, CA/Escondido), an 11-3 run by the Colonials during which Stacey Roberts (Windham, CT/Windham) scored four of her 11 first half points followed by seven straight points from freshman guard Stephanie Slonski (Griswold, CT/Griswold) put the Colonials up 35-24 heading into the locker rooms.

The Colonials carried the momentum they had built at the end of the first half into the second frame, increasing the lead with a 13-3 run out of the gates. Senior forward Isabella Henry (Coram, NY/Newfield) and senior guard Colleen Smith (Lebanon, CT/Windham) combined to score 10 points for the Colonials during the stretch, while the Brewers committed seven of their 24 turnovers. Meanwhile, Haeuser fouled out of the game with over nine minutes remaining and the Brewers had a hard time matching up against the tall forwards of Western Connecticut.

Parks led the Brewers with 15 points while Tempora added nine. Haeuser notched eight points to go with a team-high nine rebounds.

True to their balanced scoring attack, the Colonials had five players in doubles figures, led by a game-high 13 points from Roberts. Henry scored 12, six-foot-two sophomore Melissa Teel (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and classmate Karli Spera (Waterford, CT/Waterford) added 11 apiece, and Slonski chipped in with 10.