Box Score
Game Program

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 18, 2013) – The Vassar College women's basketball team weathered an initial Skidmore College blitz that saw the Thoroughbreds race out to a 16-2 lead, but couldn't contain a 59 percent second half shooting performance by the visitors, falling 69-54 in Liberty League action on Friday evening at the Athletics & Fitness Center.

The Brewers, who fell behind 16-2 at the midpoint of the first half, went on their own 17-5 run to claw back into the game. With effective shooting by sophomore forward Colleen O'Connell and junior guard Cydni Matsuoka, Vassar drew even at 26-26 with 2:10 until halftime, but Skidmore closed out on a 5-0 run and never trailed in the second half.

Vassar drops to 10-3, 3-2 in the Liberty League. Skidmore improves to 7-8, 5-1. Vassar hosts Union on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. while Skidmore travels to Bard for a 2:00 p.m. game.

Skidmore scored 12 of its first 16 points off 3-points and capitalized on a 2 of 12 shooting start by the Brewers. Skidmore sophomore guard Molly McLaughlin had 10 first half points and freshman backcourt mate Skylar Caligaris added eight points.

Ten seconds into the second half, a layup by Vassar freshman guard Caitlin Drakeley brought the Brewers within 31-28, but Skidmore quickly pushed its lead to eight points off two layups from sophomore Angela Botiba and a 3-pointer by McLaughlin.

The closest Vassar would come was a one-point deficit, 40-39, at the 15:46 mark after an O'Connell jumper, but the Thoroughbreds owned a hot shooting hand and went on a 9-0 run off the shooting acumen of Caligaris and Botiba for a 48-40 lead. A Matsuoka layup at the midway point cut the margin to 49-45, but Skidmore answered quickly with a big 3-pointer by junior guard Jordyn Wartts to push the lead to seven points.

Skidmore proceeded to make five straight field goals – using an effective inside-outside game (20-12 advantage in points in the paint) – in the next five minutes to build a 61-48 lead.

Vassar got 11 points from Matsuoka and 10 from sophomore guard Nyah Berg. O'Connell had 10 rebounds.

Skidmore had four players in double figures, led by McLaughlin and Wartts with 18 points each. Botiba had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Caligaris added 12 points.