Box Score

                  POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 18, 2014) – Senior guard Cydni Matsuoka (Sacramento, CA/John F. Kennedy) became the program's all-time points leader and fellow senior Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) scored her 1,000^th point Saturday as the Vassar College women's basketball squad defeated Rochester Institute of Technology 70-65 Saturday. The game was played in the Athletics and Fitness Center Saturday in Liberty League action.

                  Matsuoka passed former teammate Brittany Parks with 9:32 remaining in the game with a step-back three-pointer, one of her trademark plays. Matsuoka needed 18 points to reach Parks, who had previously held the record with 1,582 points. The senior All-American now sits with 1,589 points after her 25-point affair Saturday.

                  Senftleber wasted no time getting her milestone points, as she fittingly scored the first two points of the game from the free throw line to reach 1,000. Senftleber finished with eight points, all from the charity stripe, to finished the game with 1,006 points. She is now shooting 93.8 percent (60-64) from the line this season.

                  The game was in doubt down to the wire, but key possessions down the stretch proved to be the difference. RIT (6-7, 2-2 Liberty League) took its first lead since the 18:20 mark of the first half 1:06 into the second half after a Kayla Wheeler lay-up. VC and RIT traded buckets on the next two possessions to give the Tigers their largest lead of the game at 37-35.

                  Vassar (10-3, 3-1 Liberty League) put together a 10-1 run over the next five minutes, capped by a three-point play from Matsuoka to make the score 45-38. RIT wouldn't go away, trimming the VC advantage down to 45-44, but Matsuoka's milestone trifecta ended the Tiger run.

                  The senior guard would help Vassar build its lead back up to six with 5:50 remaining, as she knocked down back-to-back triples to make the score 60-54. Still, the Tigers would show some resolve coming all the way back to knot the score at 65 with 35 seconds to play. VC responded as sophomore Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) nailed a three-pointer from the left corner to put VC up with 22 seconds left.

                  RIT called timeout and the ensuing three-pointer from Jess Kramer was no good. Senftleber grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and hit two freebies to put the game out of reach as the Brewers posted their 10^th win of the year. VC is now 5-0 all-time against RIT.

                  Matsuoka and her 25 points paced Vassar, as she was 9-of-12 from the floor, making all six of her three-pointers. Drakeley chalked up 16 points and five rebounds, and Senftleber added nine rebounds to her eight points. Junior Allyson Pemberton (Weston, MA/Weston) posted eight points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Michelle Foreman (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) came off the bench to score six points and grab five caroms.

                  Sophomore Rose Serafini (Milton, Ontario, Canada/Milton Area) corralled a team-best 10 boards for the Brewers, who rebounded from a poor shooting performance in the first half (24.2%) to finish 23-of-65 (35.4%) from the floor. VC only turned the ball over 11 times Saturday, and was again stellar from the line, making 17 of the 19 free throws taken by the hosts.

                  RIT got a career-high 28 points out of Wheeler, as she was 10-of-18 from the floor, adding seven rebounds. Courtney Tennant chalked up her seventh double-double of the season, registering 13 points and 12 boards, and Ashlynn Palmitesso added 10 points. RIT fired 34.8 percent (23-66) from the field, making five of its 22 shots from deep.
                  The Brewers will return to the floor this Tuesday as they continue their five-game home stand. VC will entertain the Raptors of Bard College at 6 p.m. in the Athletics and Fitness Center in more Liberty League action.