Box Score

NEWBURGH, NY (December 2, 2014) – The Vassar College women's basketball team shot 55 percent in the second half, pulling away late from host Mount Saint Mary College to earn a 69-59 win in non-conference action from the Kaplan Center Tuesday evening.

The Brewers (4-2) netted the first four points of the game, but the hosting Knights (2-4) scored the next nine points, capped off by a Marisa Delzio layup. With the score tied at 13, Vassar posted seven consecutive points, five coming from Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug), to take a 20-13 advantage with 8:46 to play.

Vassar took its largest lead of the first half at 33-21 with 2:05 left in the opening half after a jumper by Samarah Cook (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), but Mount Saint Mary trimmed the VC lead down to six at 33-27 at the half. Drakeley finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Brewers in the opening frame, while Cook added eight points.

After the break, the Vassar and MSMC went back and forth over the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Knights finally tied the game at 53 with 6:52 to play in regulation. The Brewers scored the next six points to take a 59-53 lead, and held that six-point edge through a MSMC timeout with 2:27 remaining in regulation.  

Down the stretch, Vassar was just too much defensively, holding the Knights to 2-10 shooting during a 5:54 stretch from 6:57 to 1:03 on the game clock, pushing the advantage out to 67-57. Vassar College was able to hold off its hosts in the waning moments, capturing the Brewers' fourth-straight win.

Drakeley, the reigning Liberty League Player of the Week, was once again great, pouring in a game-best 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The junior guard added 12 rebounds, posting her second consecutive double-double and third of the season. She has posted 20 points in five straight games, tying the longest stretch ever at Vassar with Cydni Matsuoka, who posted five straight last season.

Junior Colleen O'Connell (Maywood, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) posted her first double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Cook posted a career-high 14 points, going 5-of-7 from the floor. Fellow freshman Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood) added eight points and six rebounds, while newcomer Kim Romanoff (Durham, CT/Coginchaug Regional) scored seven points, grabbed five boards and dished out five assists.

Vassar shot a season-best 45.8 percent (27-59) from the floor Tuesday night, connecting on four of its seven shots from deep (57.1 percent) and 11-of-15 from the charity stripe. VC also won the rebounding battle 49-33, including corralling 14 offensive caroms.

Mount Saint Mary got a team-best 15 points and 11 rebounds from Natalie Candarelli, and Nicole Scicutella posted 10 points and three steals for the Knights. MSMC shot 35.2 percent from the floor, but made just two of its 16 shots from behind the arc. 

The Brewers will return to the floor on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. to battle the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks (4-1) in non-conference action from the Athletics and Fitness Center.