Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 20. 2010) – After never trailing for the first 39 minutes of play on Saturday, the Vassar College women's basketball team had to fight to send the game into overtime – twice – eventually dropping a heartbreaking 70-63 double-overtime Liberty League decision on Senior Day to William Smith College at the Athletics & Fitness Center.

The Brewers conclude the season at 9-15, 5-8. Despite the loss, Vassar had its best record since 2000-01, and matched its most league wins in program history, narrowly missing the postseason. The Herons end the season with a 7-16, 3-10 record.

Honored as Vassar's sole senior prior to Saturday's game, forward Emily Haeuser did all she could to end her career with a win, racking up 26 points and a career high 18 rebounds to record the 35th double-double of her impressive career. She also added four blocks, two steals, and two assists. Click here for Haeuser's Senior Day program.

The Brewers never trailed in the game until a layup from junior Ashlinn Barber gave William Smith a 54-53 lead with 1:13 left in regulation. Vassar was unable to get a shot off over the next 53 seconds, committing two turnovers, and the Brewers were forced to foul, sending freshman Sydni Salvatore to the line where she hit 1-of-2 with 20 seconds to play, giving the Herons a 55-53 lead. On the ensuing possession, junior guard Carolyn Crampton found freshman guard Tori Chaltain streaking towards the basket, where she powered in a layup with just seven seconds remaining to send the game into its first overtime.

Haeuser opened the extra session with a layup, but Barber quickly responded with a jumper from the top of the key and freshman guard Jaimie Rubin later hit a tough layup in the lane to give William Smith the 59-57 lead with 1:48 to play. A layup from Haeuser, off another assist from Crampton, resulted in the game's fifth tie with 42 seconds remaining. On the other end, Salvatore was fouled with 16 seconds left and the freshman calmly sank both. However, the drama was far from over. Although Vassar missed a layup on the other end, William Smith could not grab the ball and the Brewers got the ball out of bounds with just five seconds remaining. Haeuser received the pass off the inbounds, drew a foul, and stepped to the line where she nailed both free throws. The Herons were unable to get a shot off, and the game went into its second overtime.

The second session ended less dramatically than the first as the Herons scored nine unanswered points and Vassar was unable to respond. Salvatore and sophomore Chelsea Tracy boosted the Herons to the win as Salvatore drained two three-pointers – William Smith's first long-range baskets of the day – and Tracy hit a layup and free throw to give the Herons a 70-61 lead with 3:06 to play. Haeuser would give Vassar its only points of the second overtime on a jumper with 2:29 to play, but the 70-63 score would stand when the final buzzer sounded.

Although they never trailed in the first half, the Brewers were never far ahead of the Herons, leading by no more than five for the first 15 minutes of play. Vassar finally began to pad its lead in the closing five minutes of the half, as Haeuser hit a baby hook shot just before the shot clock expired to give the Brewers their largest lead to that point, 25-18 with 5:02 to play. Although the Herons chopped the lead down to three off a jumper from sophomore Carrie Stevens and a layup from sophomore Kristen Kush, freshman guard Olivia Westbrook-Gold responded by converting an old-fashioned three-point play and a turnaround in the lane from sophomore forward Kristyn Tempora gave Vassar another largest lead, 30-22. Free throws from Tracy drew the Herons back within six with just 23 seconds remaining in the half, but Westbrook-Gold drained a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to send the Brewers into the locker room with momentum and a nine point, 35-26 lead.

In the second half, Vassar maintained at least a five-point lead until late in the game when the Herons drew within 49-46 on a Salvatore layup with 5:17 remaining, en route to finally claiming their first lead on Barber's layup just over four minutes later.

Haeuser's 26 points and 18 rebounds were both game highs, while Parks added 14 points and two steals for the Brewers and Westbrook-Gold came off the bench to contribute eight points. Chaltain grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists, while Crampton led the Brewers with four assists to go with five points and two steals.

Fouls and turnovers plagued the Brewers, as Vassar committed 35 turnovers and Parks, Westbrook-Gold, and Haeuser all had four fouls with 9:06 left to play in regulation, with Parks and Westbrook-Gold eventually fouling out.

Kush led the Herons with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four steals while Salvatore added 15 points, all but two coming in the second half and overtime periods. Tracy added 12 points, a game-high seven steals, and five rebounds off the bench, while Barber notched an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double to go with three steals. Rubin dished out a game-high eight assists to go with six points.