Box Score

                  SCHNECHTADY, NY (January 11, 2014) – The Vassar College women's basketball team led for only 5:23 of the contest, but it was the most important 5:23 as the Brewers finished their busy three-game week perfect with a gutty 64-56 win over Union College in Liberty League action Saturday.

                  The Brewers (9-2, 2-0 Liberty) saw the host Dutchwomen take an early lead, an advantage that would swell up to as much as eight on three instances in the first half. Vassar got a layup from Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) with 46 seconds before the intermission to make the score 32-26 Union at the break.

                   The Dutchwomen (7-4, 0-2 Liberty) held their biggest lead of the second half at eight with 12:18 left in regulation after a layup by Natalie Leone, but that's when the Brewers would make their move. Over a 3:50 stretch, the visiting Brewers outscored the Dutchwomen 11-0, turning a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead.

                  After VC took its first lead of the game at 5:23 on a Senftleber rebound and put-back, the Brewers did not trail again. Free throw shooting at the end of the game was key as well, as Vassar hit all six shots from the line to gradually pull away from Union. Defense was a big part of the Brewer comeback, as VC held UC to just six points over the last 8:49 of regulation. Over that period, the hosts were just 3-of-12 from the floor.

                  The win for Vassar was its third straight victory, after dropping two in Las Vegas last week. Additionally, the victory was the eighth over Union in the last nine tips with the Dutchwomen.

                  The Brewers put four players in double figures, led by the 15 points from senior Cydni Matsuoka (Sacramento, CA/John F. Kennedy). Matsuoka made six of her 11 shots, including 3-of-7 from deep, as she pulled to with 31 of surpassing Brittany Parks' all-time scoring record of 1,582.  Saturday saw a first from Matsuoka, as she fouled out for the first time in her 93 career games.

                  Sophomore guard Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) added 12 points and eight rebounds, going 5-of-16 from the floor. Junior Michaela Janowski (Stratham, NH/Exeter Area) chalked up a career-best 10 points, fellow junior Allyson Pemberton (Weston, MA/Weston) added 10 points and three steals, and Nyah Berg (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) had eight points.

                  Senftleber finished with a game-high 15 rebounds, with 13 of those coming in the second half. She also registered nine points for the Brewers, who were 26-of-65 (40.0 percent) from the floor. VC was also stellar on the boards, outrebounding the Dutchwomen 41-30, including snatching 17 offensive rebounds.

                  Leone came off the bench to pace Union with 14 points, as teammates Amy Loya and Kelsey McDonald added 12 and 11 points, respectively. UC made 44.2 percent (23-52) from the floor Saturday, but took 13 fewer shot attempts due to the abundance of Vassar offensive rebounds.

                  Vassar College will now return home for a five-game home stand, which starts Friday evening at 6 p.m. against the Herons of William Smith College in the Athletics and Fitness Center (AFC) on the campus of Vassar.