POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 20, 2014) – Vassar College split its contests last week, falling to William Smith College Friday evening, responding with a five-point win over Rochester Institute of Technology Saturday. The game against the Tigers was a special one, as senior Cydni Matsuoka (Sacramento, CA/John F. Kennedy) broke the school record for points in a career, while Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) went over 1,000 points for her tenure at Vassar. This week, VC finishes its five-game home stand with three Liberty League contests, as Bard College visits Tuesday, with Clarkson University coming to town Friday and St. Lawrence University traveling to the Athletics and Fitness Center (AFC) Saturday

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Bard College (1-11/0-3 Liberty League) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Athletics and Fitness Center (1,200)
Date: January 21, 2014
Time: 6 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Clarkson University (5-5/1-3 Liberty League) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Athletics and Fitness Center (1,200)
Date: January 24, 2014
Time: 6 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats

Game Details
Opponent: vs. St. Lawrence University (6-5/3-0 Liberty League) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Athletics and Fitness Center (1,200)
Date: January 25, 2014
Time: 2 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats

What To Look For
The Brewers enter a very important week, as they will have the opportunity to bolster their record before playing the next four games on the road. Vassar is 6-1 at home this year, so playing at home this year has been huge for VC. The Brewers will look to take advantage of the long road trip that Clarkson and St. Lawrence have, as both schools will have to travel in excess of six hours to Poughkeepsie. VC will also have to contend with the top two scorers in the league, as Bard's Tytravia Riley (17.9 PPG) and Cara Manfredi (17.2 PPG) are set to invade the AFC.

A Look at the Raptors
Bard College has struggled this season, dropping all but one if its 12 contests this season. BC has played the last seven games in Annandale-on-Hudson, as Tuesday evening's game is the first road game for Bard since December 3, 2013.  The Raptors are the lowest scoring team in the Liberty League, averaging 51.1 points per game, though their defense has been pretty solid allowing just 65 a game. BC also averages more rebounds per game than its opponents, and has a solid inside presence defensively, averaging nearly three blocks per game.

Riley is the go-to player for Vassar, as she averages a double-double of 17.9 points per game and 13.8 boards a contest. She is shooting a Liberty League high 53.4 percent from the field, and has taken the most free throws (91) in the conference. Sophomore guard Bianka Bell has returned to the lineup following the semester break, and is second in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Joanna Regan posted 7.2 points per night and a team-leading 4.8 assists per night, while Liz Freud chalks up 6.7 tallies per game. Bard is shooting just 20 percent from deep, and has struggled from the line, converting on just 55.4 percent of its freebies.

Projected Starting Lineup: F – Tytravia Riley (17.9 PPG), F - Liz Freud (6.7), G - Bianka Bell (12.2), G - Joanna Regan (7.2), G - Andra Moye (2.8)

Against Bard All-Time
Vassar College is 9-0 against the Raptors all-time, having earned five wins over Bard during the last three seasons. Last year, Vassar knocked off Bard 71-46 in the AFC, while defeating BC 79-53 in Annandale-on-Hudson.

A Look at the Golden Knights
Clarkson enters the week 6-6 on the year, having dropped its last three contests, all in Liberty League action. CU is a very solid defensive team, as it comes into the week second in scoring defense, allowing just 56.7 points per game. Clarkson is also first in the Liberty League in steals per game, posting 67 thefts per night. The Golden Knights are second in the conference in rebounding margin, pulling down 5.7 more boards per night than their opponents. Free throw shooting has been a bit of an issue though, as CU makes just 57.5 percent from the line, second worst in the League.

Clarkson is sparked offensively by the 17.2 points per game from Manfredi, as she can shoot it from deep and also beat opponents off the bounce.  Manfredi is second in the league in scoring, and is second in conference in three-pointers made per game with 2.7 a night. Ashley Loggins adds 15.1 points per game, as the pairing is the top scoring pairing in the Liberty League. Loggins posts a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game, and Stephanie Grobe posts 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. Loggins leads the conference in steals per game at 2.8 a game. Clarkson is second in the League in offensive rebounding with over 15 a game.

Projected Starting Lineup: F – Ashley Loggins (15.1 PPG), F – Brooke Butkovsky (5.0), G – Melissa Bogart (3.2), G – Cara Manfredi (17.2), G – Stephanie Grobe (6.9).

Against Clarkson All-Time
The Brewers are 15-12 against Clarkson since 1997, as VC swept Clarkson last year. VC earned an 18-point decision to the Golden Knights last year in the AFC.

A Look at the Saints
St. Lawrence is currently 3-0 in the conference, second-best in the Liberty League behind William Smith. SLU has won its last three games, and five of the last six outings. The lone loss for the Saints over the last month came at No. 4 Williams College, a 50-38 loss to the Ephs. The strength of the Saints is their defense, as SLU comes in with the league's best field goal defense at 35 percent against. St. Lawrence also has the most blocks per game in the Liberty League with 4.5 a night, which also ranks 44^th in the nation. The Saints are susceptible to allowing triples, as they are eighth-worst in all of NCAA Division III in three-point defense.

Kelly Legg is leading the Saints' offense, as she pours in 13.2 points per game, also leading the Liberty League in blocks with 29. Kara McDuffee nearly averages a double-double with 12 points and 9.9 rebounds a game, while Allison Cady completes the trio with 9.2 points and a team-leading 40 assists for St. Lawrence. Legg, McDuffee and Cady are the only three players to start all 11 games for the Saints, who have six players averaging over seven points per game. SLU has outscored its opponents this season by just one point, and is 2-3 on the road this campaign. St. Lawrence is the reigning Liberty League champion, having knocked off William Smith last year in the title game.

Projected Starting Five: F - Caroline Dalton (7.4), F - Kelly Legg (13.2), G - Cassie St. Hillaire (7.6), G - Allison Cady (9.2), G- Kara McDuffee (12.0).

Against St. Lawrence All-Time
The Saints have done well in the series with these two teams, as SLU holds a 24-5 series edge. Vassar knocked off the Saints 79-54 last year in the AFC, while St. Lawrence defeated the Brewers 81-60 in Canton, NY.

Shooter, Shooter
The Brewers are making 32.5 percent of their triples this season, which is second-best in the Liberty League and in the top 80 nationally. Cydni Matsuoka is in the top 20 nationally in three-point percentage, making 48.5 percent from deep.

Freebies
Vassar has been stellar from the line this season, making nearly 80 percent as a team from the charity stripe. Hannah Senftleber has been the team leader in percentage, ranking in the top three nationally with a 93.8 percent clip.

Leader Of The Pack
Vassar as a team leads six statistical categories in the Liberty League, including rebound margin, scoring margin and three-point defense. VC ranks in the top half of every stat category except for made threes per game.

Second Half Success
The Brewers have outscored their opponents in both halves this season, but the second half has been a great period for VC. Vassar has 68 more points in the second half than its opponent.

Everyone On The Glass
The Brewers lead the Liberty League in rebounding margin, much in part to the total team effort for VC. This season, six players are pulling in three or more rebounds per game, led by the 9.8 from Hannah Senftleber.

Added Bonus
This season, junior Allyson Pemberton (Weston, MA/Weston) has been a huge contributor in the success of the team. She has averaged eight points per game since being inserted into the starting line-up against Hartwick, and is leading the team with a 50.8 percent shooting percentage.

Up Next
Vassar will take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Tuesday evening in Troy, NY at 6 p.m. before getting a weekend off to rest up for the second half of the Liberty League schedule.