Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 6, 2009) – Freshman Brittany Parks (Escondido, CA/Escondido) erupted for a career high 30 points, but the Vassar College women's basketball team was unable to pick up its first Liberty League win, as William Smith College grabbed a 58-50 win at the Athletics & Fitness Center on Friday evening. Although William Smith held a lead from beginning to end, Vassar stayed within striking distance, never trailing by more than nine points.

The Brewers fall to 3-16 and remain in search of their first Liberty League win, at 0-8. Vassar hosts Hamilton College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Herons improve to 11-8, 5-3 in the league, and travel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Parks showcased impressive offensive abilities in the loss, shooting 12-for-24 from the field on an array of layups in traffic, short jumpers, and three-pointers. She also dished out six assists.

Parks netted 18 points in the second half as the Brewers steadily chopped away at the Herons' lead. However, William Smith consistently found an answer and Vassar could get no closer than two points. A drive from the top of the key by Parks brought the Brewers within two, 35-33, with 13:09 to play in the game, but the Herons quickly responded with six straight points to take a 41-33 lead, matching its largest of the game to that point.

Again, the Brewers fought back, as a Parks drained a three-pointer and then fed fellow freshman Kristyn Tempora (Marlboro, NJ/St. John Vianney) for a layup to cut the Heron lead to 43-40, with 8:29 to play. However, three straight William Smith baskets gave the Herons their largest lead of the game, 49-40, and the Brewers could get no closer than four for the remaining 5:42. A Tempora layup with 1:06 to play made things interesting, with William Smith holding a slim four point lead, but four free throws down the stretch by senior Latasha Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons) iced the win.

Although the Herons held the lead for the entire first half, and scored six unanswered points to open the game, they never held more than a seven-point edge. For the final nine minutes of the half, Vassar trailed by five or less and a short baseline jumper by junior Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland) knotted the game at 23 for the first time with 2:46 remaining. The teams traded baskets as a Brianna Brazell (Salt Lake City, UT/Waterford School) jumper tied the game again with 1:52 to play, but baskets from Erin Cunningham (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls) and Sarah Tarantino (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) gave the Herons a 29-25 lead heading into the locker room. Parks played a large role in keeping the Brewers in the game in the first half, with 12 points and four assists while Haeuser contributed eight points and six rebounds.

Haeuser added nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Brewers, and Tempora had six points to go with three steals, but no other player scored more than two points.

Coney led the Herons with 18 points and nine rebounds, and caused havoc on the defensive end with eight steals. Cunningham added 14 points.