Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 7, 2009) — Despite an even second half, the Vassar College women's basketball team was unable to come back from a nine-minute first half scoring drought and lost 54-40 to Hamilton College Saturday afternoon at the Athletics & Fitness Center. Nine different players scored for Hamilton, led by Sydney Fasulo (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Country Day) with 13. Freshman Brittany Parks (Escondido, CA/Escondido) led Vassar's offense for the third straight game, tallying 19 points.

Vassar drops to 3-17, 0-9, The Brewers will host Skidmore next Friday at 6:00 p.m. Hamilton, which came into the game ranked fifth in the Liberty League, is now 12-7, 5-4 on the year.

Vassar jumped out to an early 14-8 lead, holding the Continentals to just eight points in the first five minutes and shutting them out completely in the next five. Parks, who scored a career high 30-points Friday night, carved through the Hamilton defense early for two left-handed layups before hitting a jump shot with 10:30 left in the half to put her team ahead 14-8.

Over the next nine minutes, however, Hamilton put the clamps on the Vassar offense with frenetic ball pressure and an intimidating front line led by 6'1 seniors Fasulo and Madelyn McGuinnis (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey). Vassar's drought finally ended when Parks maneuvered for another layup, this time drawing a foul and converting the free throw to cut Hamilton's lead to 25-17 with 1:29 to play in the first half. But Hamilton came right back with another 7-0 run to complete a 24-3 run heading into the locker room. Seven different players scored during Hamilton's run, which was capped by a Molly Kane (Sherril, NY/VVS High School) three pointer at the buzzer to give Hamilton a 32-17 lead.

Vassar started the second frame as well as it did the first, matching Hamilton's balanced offensive attack with its own one-two punch of Parks and Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland). Haeuser scored Vassar's first basket of the second half, and then Parks started to take over. The freshman guard netted two straight three pointers, grabbed two steals, one leading to a fast-break layup, and sank two free-throws for ten straight points.

Hamilton's balanced attack, however, seemed to respond with each Vassar basket. The Continentals did not allow the Brewers to get closer than nine points the entire second half. Haeuser, who had her hands full as Hamilton rotated four 6-footers throughout the game, managed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Parks finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, with four assists, four rebounds and five steals.

Fasulo shot 6-of-10 for her 13 points, and added four rebounds. McGuinnis added eight points, while Reisa Asimovic (Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina/Treca Gimnazija), Laura Wetmore (Horseheadsw, NY/Horseheads) and Sarah Schrader (Rangeley, ME/Rangeley Lakes Re