POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 19, 2014) – The Vassar College women's basketball team heads to the North Country this weekend for the final two regular season games of the season. The Brewers will take on St. Lawrence University Friday evening for the right to be the No. 1 seed in the Liberty League Tournament, while also battling Clarkson University Saturday afternoon. Vassar has won three straight and 10 of its last 11 games.

Game Details
Opponent: at St. Lawrence University  (16-7, 12-2 Liberty League)          
(St. Lawrence Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Canton, NY
Facility:  Burkman Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: February 21, 2014
Time: 6 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Clarkson University (8-14, 3-11 Liberty League)
(Clarkson Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Potsdam, NY
Facility:  Alumni Gymnasium (2,000)
Date: February 22, 2014
Time: 2 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

What to Look For
The four teams competing in the Liberty League Tournament are set, but seeding is still available this weekend. Rochester Institute of Technology is locked into the No. 4 seed, but Vassar, William Smith and St. Lawrence could all finish anywhere from No. 1 to No. 3. Vassar would be the No. 1 seed with a win at St. Lawrence on Friday, regardless of the outcome of the Vassar-Clarkson game Saturday. A win over St. Lawrence would make Vassar 2-0 against St. Lawrence. Even if Vassar lost to Clarkson and finished tied with SLU at 13-3, Vassar would own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

St. Lawrence would be the No. 1 seed with a win over Vassar on Friday, regardless of the outcome of the Bard-St. Lawrence game Saturday. If St. Lawrence beats Vassar and loses to Bard, and Vassar beats Clarkson, then St. Lawrence and Vassar would both be 13-3. Since there are no teams in the league with a better record, the next tie-breaker is record vs. conference teams in descending order. St. Lawrence owns a 2-0 record against William Smith while Vassar is 0-2 against William Smith. If Vassar goes 0-2 this weekend, William Smith and Vassar would both have 12-4 records. William Smith would be the No. 2 seed by virtue of a 2-0 head-to-head record.

A Look at the Saints
Knocking off the Saints has been a tough task this year when the contest has been played in Burkman Gym, as St. Lawrence is 8-1 at home this season. SLU's only loss at home this year came back on November 23, 2013 when the Red Dragons of Cortland State knocked off St. Lawrence 74-62. St. Lawrence has won eight of its last night games, with the only loss coming at RIT on Valentine's Day. The Saints are the league's best defensive team by scoring, allowing just 57 points per game. SLU is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league, averaging 30 per contest. St. Lawrence is also the biggest team down low, coming into the game with 40 more blocks than the No. 2 team in the league, chalking up 134 rejections.

The Saints are one of the more balanced teams in the conference, as not one player on the team is in the top 10 in scoring. Kara McDuffee averages 13.3 points to pace the Saints, while Kelly Legg pours in 11.8 points per game. McDuffee is third in the league in rebounding and does most of the ball handling duties as well for SLU, while Legg is ninth in the LL in boarding and leads the blocks category with 61 on the year. Allison Cady, Caroline Dalton and Cassie St. Hilaire all average over eight points per game, and Lauren Quattrocchi also tallies 7.1 points a night.

Projected Starting Lineups: F – Caroline Dalton (8.8 PPG), F – Kelly Legg (12.1 PPG), G – Kara McDuffee (13.4 PPG), G - Allison Cady (8.8 PPG), G – Cassie St. Hilaire (8.6 PPG).

Against St. Lawrence All-Time
The Saints have held a decided advantage against the Brewers over the years, winning 24 of the last 30 games between the two teams. VC has won three of the last four, including the earlier season meeting in Poughkeepsie, a 65-60 victory in the AFC.

A Look at the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have been eliminated from postseason play this year, so Saturday's game will be the final contest of the year for Clarkson. CU has dropped six straight entering this weekend, but does have a 12-point win over William Smith this year. Clarkson has not scored a ton of points this year, averaging just 58.5, but has the second-best scoring defense in the Liberty League at just 58.1 per game. The Golden Knights have had an issue with fouling, sending teams to the free throw line 468 times, with opposition making a League-high 72.9 percent against them. CU does also sport the best turnover margin in the league.

Ashley Loggins sparks the offense for Clarkson, chalking up 15.1 points per game, which ranks her seventh in the Liberty League. Cara Manfredi adds the ninth-most points in the Liberty League with 14.3 points a night, as she has made 52 trifectas this campaign. Stephanie Grobe has posted a team-best 23 blocks, and Brooke Butkovsky has returned to the starting lineup and is averaging 5.8 points per game. Clarkson has struggled from the line this year, making just 59.1 percent, which ranks among the worst in Division III.

Projected Starting Lineups: F – Ashley Loggins (15.1 PPG), F – Brooke Butkovsky (5.8 PPG), G – Cara Manfredi (14.3 PPG), G – Stephanie Grobe (6.5 PPG), G – Melissa Bogart (2.5 PPG).

Against Clarkson All-Time
The all-time series with Clarkson and Vassar College is currently split right down the middle, with each side earning 14 victories. The Brewers knocked off Clarkson 67-50 back on January 24 in Poughkeepsie, as Cydni Matsuoka (Sacramento, CA/John F. Kennedy) posted 18 points to lead Vassar. VC has won five times in Potsdam all-time, including chalking up W's the last two seasons.

On The Verge
The Brewers are on the precipice of earning their second-ever 20-win season, a feat accomplished for the first time last season when VC set the program-record for wins in a year with 21.

Regionally Respect
The NCAA released its season regional rankings Monday afternoon, and the Brewers were picked second in the East Region behind only Ithaca College. Regional rankings are what the NCAA Selection Committee uses when deciding on which teams make the NCAA Tournament.

#Winning
The Brewers have already clinched their fourth-straight winning season, marking the 25^th winning campaign since 1959-60.

Shoot It If You Got It
Senior forward Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) is making 43 percent of her threes this season, up from the 17.4 percent from last year's campaign.

Two-Way Player
Sophomore guard Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) has seven double-doubles, one behind the team lead of eight, held by Hannah Senftleber.

Starters Set
This year, Vassar has started just three starting lineups, with Cydni Matsuoka, Hannah Senftleber, Caitlin Drakeley and Michaela Janowski (Stratham, NH/Exeter Area) all getting the starting assignment in all 23 games so far.

14-0 And Counting
Vassar now has a record of 14-0 this year when making more than 40 percent of its field goals.

Swat Machine
Sophomore Rose Serafini (Milton, Ontario, Canada/Milton Area) has only played 16.7 minutes per game this year, but is still second in the league in rejections, swatting 35 shot attempts.

Repeat In The North
Vassar College has only earned a victory in North Country against St. Lawrence once in the regular season, when VC defeated SLU 50-46 January 16, 2010. The Brewers have had some success in the playoffs though, defeating St. Lawrence two straight years in Canton en route to a pair of Liberty League titles.