POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 3, 2014) – The Vassar College women's basketball teams looks to up its winning streak to five on Saturday, as the Brewers play host to Stevens Institute of Technology in non-conference play from the Athletics and Fitness Center. The Brewers are coming off a hard-fought, road victory over Mount Saint Mary College Tuesday evening, knocking off the Knights 69-59 as both Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) and Colleen O'Connell (Maywood, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) tallied double-doubles on the night.

Game Details
Opponent: Stevens Institute of Technology (4-1, 0-0 Empire 8)
Links: (Stevens Team Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) (Statistics)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center (1,200)
Time: 3 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats)(Live Video)
Twitter Handles: @VassarWBB, @VassarAthletics, @StevensDucks

What To Watch For
The Brewers have rebounded nicely from their two losses to start the season, rattling off four straight wins including upping their win streak at home to 10 games last week with a convincing 64-39 win over the Cardinals of Wesleyan University. Saturday's test with Stevens provides this season's first difficult home challenge, as the Brewers will also entertain non-conference power Hartwick College later in the month. Stevens has been efficient on offense this season, posting a 67.6 per game clip, second in the Empire 8. If the Brewers can disrupt the offensive flow of the Ducks, it will be big in helping Vassar capture its 11^th consecutive victory in the AFC.

A Look At The Ducks
Stevens enters this season weekend riding high much like the Brewers, as it has notched four consecutive wins after a season-opening loss to now No. 24 Salisbury University 62-57. Since then, the Ducks have won all four of their games, including knocking off William Paterson University on Monday, 72-66 in Wayne, NJ. Five scored in double-figures in that game for the Ducks, led by the 16 points and 10 rebounds from Kaitlyn Astel. Miranda Ripken, daughter of former Baltimore Orioles' second baseman Billy Ripken, also tallied 12 points and seven rebounds, knocking down 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. The Ducks enter the weekend with the Empire 8's largest scoring margin, outscoring opposition by 9.8 points per game on average. What's more is that the Ducks also can play either offensive or defensive style, leading the conference in both field goal percentage (.428) and field goal defense (.307).

Astel leads the way for the Ducks, as she is pouring in just over 12 points per game, also averaging 7.4 rebounds per tilt. Dylan Krause is also playing well for Stevens, averaging 10.6 points and a team-high eight boards a night. Ripken is adding 7.6 points per game, while Brittany Washington has also come off the bench in just 16.8 minutes per game to chalk up 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Point guard Erica Guketlov has started all five games for the Ducks, handing out 4.0 assists per game. The Ducks have played nine players in all five games this season, but have 14 players that have seen action. Stevens out-rebounds its opponents on average by 5.2 boards per game, and have held perimeter shooters to just 23.5 percent shooting from downtown.

Potential Starters: Kaitlyn Astel (12.4 PPG), Dylan Krause (10.6), Miranda Ripken (7.6), Hannah Brophy (5.8), Erica Guketlov (2.6).

Against Stevens All-Time
The Brewers bring a 2-4 record into Saturday's affair with the Ducks, with the last game with Stevens coming back in 2007. In the game, the Ducks knocked off Vassar 64-32, and the Brewers haven't won in the series since November 18, 2005 with a 56-55 win over the Ducks, thanks to 16 points and 11 rebounds from Rachel Cerlen. VC is 1-2 against Stevens at home.

Cookie Monster
Freshman guard Samarah Cook (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) posted her best game as a collegiate Tuesday, posting 14 points, including nailing a pair of threes. She is now leading the team in three-point shooting, making 45.5 percent of her attempts from deep.

Going Past 20, Real Quick
Junior Caitlin Drakeley has posted five straight games with 20 or more points, tying the record held by former All-American Cydni Matsuoka set last year.

Kiss From A Rosenthal
Freshman Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CT/Redwood) has continued to settle in for the Brewers, and is averaging 8.2 points per game, fourth-most on the squad.

Colleen Machine
Junior Colleen O'Connell pulled in a season-high 13 boards on Tuesday, and continues to climb the rebounding chart at VC. As of Wednesday, O'Connell has corralled 530 boards, just six short of Melissa Clark for seventh all-time at Vassar. She is second on the rebounds per game with 8.8 a contest.

Triple Shutdown
The Brewers currently have the Liberty League's third-best three-point shooting defense, holding opposition to just .250 shooting from behind the arc.

Free Load
Vassar has been great from the line the past two seasons, and this year currently ranks second in free throw shooting in the conference at 77.1 percent. The Brewers lead the League in free throws made and attempted.

Glass Cleaners
So far this season, Vassar has not let the lack of height hurt it, as the Brewers have outrebounded their opponents by 12 on average. VC is second in the conference in rebounds per game with 48 a night.

Started From The Bottom, Now She's Here
Caitlin Drakeley currently leads the conference in scoring average, pouring in 21 points per game, 0.2 points per game more than Clarkson University's Ashley Loggins.

Rose In Bloom
Junior Rose Serafini (Milton, Ontario, Canada/Milton Area) returned against Mount Saint Mary College, and contributed some big minutes against the Knights. Serafini is posting career-bests of 6.0 rebounds and 17.8 minutes per game this season.

Up Next
Vassar will battle its second ranked opponent of the season on Monday evening, taking on No. 9 Montclair State University (5-0) at 7 p.m. in Montclair, NJ.