POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 2, 2013) – Things are going well for the Vassar College women's basketball team as it heads into a non-conference home contest Wednesday with the Eagles of St. Joseph's College Long Island at 7 p.m. in the Athletics and Fitness Center (AFC). Vassar will look to keep its unbeaten streak alive this week, after the Brewers moved to 4-0 after defeating Wesleyan University last Tuesday evening 65-52 behind the 17 points from senior guard Cydni Matsuoka (San Francisco, CA/John F. Kennedy).

Game Details
Opponent: vs. St. Joseph's College - Long Island (0-4/0-0 Skyline)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Athletics and Fitness Center (1,200)
Date: December 4, 2013
Time: 7 p.m.
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What To Watch For
                  Vassar returns home this week after being on the road the last two games, and the Brewers have enjoyed the friendly confines of late. VC has been very strong over the last few seasons at home, going 31-7 since the 2010-11 season. Vassar has going 13-2 in its last 15 contests in the AFC, including winning its first two home contests this year. In contrast, St. Joseph's has gone 15-22 on the road over the last four seasons, with Wednesday being the Eagles' first true road game this season.

A Look at the Eagles
                  St. Joseph's College comes into the week with a pretty solid trio of scorers, as Laura Cohen, Danielle Hamlin and Christina Cohen all averaging in double figures. All three players are averaging over 33.5 minutes per game, and are the only three members of the team to start all four games for the Eagles. St. Joseph's is scoring 61 points per game, which ranks in the middle of the Skyline Conference, but the Eagles have allowed 91 points per game, which is last in the conference.

                  The St. Joseph's defense has not been able to keep teams off the glass, which in turn is resulting in a lot of easy buckets. Opposition is averaging a mind-boggling 60.8 rebounds per game against the Eagles, including grabbing over 24.2 offensive caroms per night. This is resulting in 43 percent shooting against. SJC is doing a nice job at keeping teams from shooting well from deep, holding shooters to just 18.8 percent from behind the arc. The Eagles aren't the deepest team either, as head coach Michael Pitre has deployed only nine players this season.

                  Projected Starters – Laura Cohen (18.2 PPG), Danielle Hamlin (14.8), Christina Cohen (13.0), Kayleigh Stapleton (4.0), Erika Ellwanger (5.8).

Against St. Joseph's (LI) All-Time
                  The Brewers entertain the Eagles on Wednesday looking to up their record against St. Joseph's to a perfect 5-0. The teams have met four previous times, with the last win for VC coming back during the 2008-09 season. Vassar has won by an average of 22.5 points per game over the four games, with the biggest margin of victory coming back on November 17, 2007, an 83-57 triumph for the Brewers.

Large In The Margin
                  The Brewers have held a healthy scoring margin this season, outscoring opponents on average by 16.8 points per game. That leads the Liberty League, and ranks in the top 50 in the nation.

Try Again
                  Vassar's defense has been stellar, holding teams to an amazing 45.3 points per game. That is over 12 points better than the next lowest squad in the Liberty League, which is Clarkson University (59.4). Vassar's scoring defense is seventh-best in the country right now.

On The Glass
                  Vassar's team rebounding has strong, despite being without 2012-13 leading rebounder Colleen O'Connell this year. VC is tied for 52^nd nationally in rebounding margin, posting 9.7 more boards per game than its opposition.

Lending A Helping Hand
                  Cydni Matusoka currently ranks 20^th in the nation in assists per game, handing out six helpers per contest. Matsuoka is currently 25 assists short of the school record for her career.

I'll Take That
                  Rebounding this season has been a team effort, though sophomore Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) and Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) have done the heavy lifting. Both have led the Brewers in two games in rebounding, as both have two double-doubles on the year.

Birds On The Brain
                  The Brewers have had some success shooting down schools that feature a bird mascot this year. VC knocked off the New Paltz Hawks 60-53 last week, before defeating the Cardinals of Wesleyan University last week 65-52. Vassar has nine games against "birds" this year, and is a stretch of seven games with five against "birds."

Shoot To Score
                  VC has done a nice shot of making its shots when getting open. This year, the Brewers are hitting on 45.8 percent of their attempts from the floor. This leads the Liberty League, and is three percent higher than RPI.

Fall Season Friendly
                  The Brewers have done well in the fall semester part of the season over the last three years, going 17-3 before the turn of the calendar to the next year. Last year, Vassar was 7-1 but will be challenged this year with tough games against No. 4 Montclair State University and No. 5 Amherst College.

Up Next
                  Vassar will be off for six days before welcoming in the No.4 Red Hawks of Montclair State for a huge non-conference battle at 7 p.m. in the AFC.