POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 28, 2014) – The Vassar College women's basketball team (4-4) finishes its 2014 portion of the schedule Tuesday evening, hosting Hartwick College in the final non-conference game of the season for Vassar. The Brewers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, having dropped consecutive games to Stevens Institute of Technology and Montclair State University earlier in the month.

Game Details
Date: December 30, 2014
Opponent: Hartwick College (1-6, 0-0 Empire 8)
Links: (Hartwick Team Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) (Statistics)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center
Time: 7 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
What To Watch For
Each team comes into Tuesday's game with some rust, as each has had a lengthy layover since their last time out. Hartwick will not have played since December 4, a 26-day span without a game, while the Brewers have been off since December 8. It'll be interesting to see which team gets back into the flow the fastest, and whichever team can minimize mistakes. Also, the Brewers have been strong on the glass so far this season, while Hartwick has been out-rebounded on average by three boards per game. If VC can continue that trend, and capitalize on second-chance opportunities, it may go a long way towards earning a win.

A Look At The Hawks (1-6)
The Hawks of Hartwick College are in a transitional year, after making the NCAA Tournament last season with a 22-6 overall record. Former head coach Missy West has since left the program, as has All-Region player Brittney Dumas, who now is in her first season at Cortland State. First year head coach Jackie Craft and her troops have played some strong competition this season, and the Hawks' lone win came over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. So far this season, Hartwick has excelled on defense, posting the league's third-best scoring defensive average at 59.4 points per game. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the offense has lagged behind, chalking up an Empire 8 low of 46 points per game.

Without Dumas to lead the way this year, the Hawks have had to use a scoring by committee approach, as five players are posting over 5.6 points per game. Emily Stone is playing 37 minutes per game, and pouring in a team-best 11.9 points nightly, while Taylor Vonasek also has chalked up 9.5 points a contest. Courtney Cirillo has added 7.0 points a game, while Anna Hickey leads the team in shooting, making 43.3 percent of her attempts for 5.9 points per game. Vonasek posted a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game, while Stone leads the Hawks with just 13 assists on the year. Hartwick will use its bench, as nine players have played 12 minutes or more on average, with 10 playing in six or more contests.

Potential Starting Lineup: Emily Stone (11.9 PPG), Taylor Vonasek (9.5 PPG), Courtney Cirillo (7.0 PPG), Christina Graziadei (5.6 PPG), Jess Ballai (2.9 PPG).

Against Hartwick All-Time
Hartwick is 4-1 against the Brewers all-time, though Vassar's lone victory came last year in Poughkeepsie, a 67-65 decision for VC. In that contest, now-senior Allyson Pemberton (Weston, MA/Weston) hit a game-winning jumper with less than a second to play to earn the win for the Brewers. All five games with Hartwick, dating back to 1999, have been close with the average margin of defeat being just over eight points.

No Long Range
Vassar this season has preferred to get to the rim and take shots inside the three-point line, as the Brewers come into Tuesday's game with just 11 made three-pointers this season, by far the fewest in the Liberty League.

For Charity
The Brewers lead the Liberty League and are among the top 20 nationally in free throw shooting, posting a .788 free throw percentage as of Sunday. Vassar has also made the second-most freebies of any team in the League, as RIT's 125 is just six made free throws more than VC.

Defensive Dip
Vassar College hadn't allowed a team to score over 59 points during its four-game winning streak, but recently the Brewers game up 72 points and 82 points in back-to-back defeats to Stevens and MSU. In wins this season, Vassar is allowing 52.5 points per game, but in losses VC is giving up 73.8 points a night.

Calendar Ending Struggles
Over the last six seasons, the Brewers are 1-5 in the final game of the calendar year. Last season, Vassar dropped its last game of the 2013 portion of the season in Las Vegas to Gwynedd Mercy 82-74.

New Moon
Junior Alex Moon (Mission Hills, CA/Bishop Alemany) returns from her trip abroad in Russia for Tuesday night's game, after averaging 4.4 points per game and 22.4 minutes as a freshman in 2012-13.

On The Boards
The Brewers come into Tuesday night's affair with the Hawks as allowing the fewest rebounds per game to opposition in the Liberty League. Per night, the Brewers are surrendering just 37 rebounds a night to opponents.

Double-Double Trouble
Vassar junior Colleen O'Connell (Maywood, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) is averaging just under a double-double this season, posting 9.0 points and 8.5 caroms a contest.

Up Next
VC will head to Union College Friday evening (6 p.m.) and Skidmore College (2 p.m.) Saturday afternoon in the Liberty League openers for both squads.