Box Score

TROY, NY (January 19, 2010) – Although its upset bid fell just short on Tuesday evening, the Vassar College women's basketball proved itself a dangerous opponent in the Liberty League, as the Brewers were narrowly edged, 47-40, by the team picked to finish first in the preseason league coaches' polls. Leading for the majority of the second half, Vassar saw its chances of upset fade during a scoring drought that lasted the final 8:35 of the game.

The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Brewers who fall to 5-6, 2-1 in the league. Vassar returns to action with a league weekend on the road, playing at William Smith College on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Hamilton College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Engineers remain unbeaten in the league at 3-0 and improve to 8-6 overall with their fourth straight win. RPI will play at Hamilton on Friday and William Smith on Saturday.

The Liberty League travel partners stood at opposite ends of the preseason coaches' poll, with RPI in first and Vassar in last, but both teams entered Tuesday's game with 2-0 league records after defeating Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University last weekend. Proving that their 2-0 start was no fluke, the Brewers battled to a 22-22 first half tie with the Engineers.

The opening minutes of the second half were a back-and-forth affair, as RPI struck first on a Whitney Coleman layup. Senior Emily Haeuser responded with a jumper, and two free throws from sophomore Kristyn Tempora handed Vassar the lead, 28-24. Four consecutive points from the Engineers gave the home team a 28-26 advantage with 15:21 to play, but the Brewers responded with a 7-0 run to go up 33-28 on a jumper from junior Carolyn Crampton with 13:38 remaining.

The Brewers held their lead for over ten minutes. A layup from Nicole Monroe brought the Engineers within one basket, 40-38, with 7:29 remaining, but the scoreboard remained stuck on that tally for four minutes as neither team managed to score. RPI's Laura Easterling finally broke the drought, draining a three-pointer with 3:30 remaining to give RPI a 41-40 lead. Still mired in their scoring drought, the Brewers were unable to answer and a three-pointer by Coleman with 1:46 gave the Engineers a 44-40 advantage, their largest lead to that point. A lay-up and a free throw from the Engineers accounted for the final seven-point margin of victory.

Indicative of the low-scoring evening, the game opened with over two and a half minutes of scoreless play. Vassar sophomore Brittany Parks finally broke the ice with a jumper to give Vassar the 2-0 lead. The Brewers quickly jumped out to an 8-0 lead just over five minutes into the game as Crampton sank a free throw, Tempora hit a jumper, and Parks nailed a three-pointer. The Engineers responded with a 7-0 run of their own as Allison Connor gave RPI its first points with a three-pointer and Ellen High and Coleman followed her with jumpers to cut the Vassar lead to 8-7 with 13 minutes remaining in the half.

The Brewers managed to retain their lead for the next five minutes, but a Monroe score gave RPI its first lead of the game, 13-12, with 8:05 to play until halftime. The Brewers responded with a 10-3 run to take a 22-16 lead on a Parks three-pointer with 2:26 remaining. However, in a half full of momentum swings, the Engineers had the last word, as Easterling and Connor drained three-pointers in the final minute to send the teams into the locker room with a 22-22 deadlock.

Parks had a huge first half for the Brewers, scoring 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and also grabbing two steals. The sophomore guard finished with a team-high 15 points to go with five steals and five rebounds. Tempora added ten points and five rebounds, while Crampton chipped in with seven points.

The only RPI player in double figures, Coleman netted 15 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Amanda Brophy added eight points, all in the second half, and a game high 14 rebounds.

The Brewers committed 23 turnovers, but also forced the Engineers into 20 of their own. However, RPI held the advantage in points off turnovers, 19-10. RPI also held a 45-36 edge on the boards, including 19 on the offensive glass.