POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 27, 2014) – Following a thrilling 81-70 victory over No. 3 seed William Smith College Wednesday in the Liberty League semifinals, No. 2 seed Vassar College will head to Canton, NY to battle for its third League title in four years against top-seed St. Lawrence University. Vassar had to come back for the win over the Herons, outscoring WSC by 19 in the second half en route to the championship game appearance. St. Lawrence knocked off Rochester Institute of Technology 65-52 Wednesday in the other league semifinal.

Vassar College (21-5, 13-3 LL)

Game Details
LIBERTY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT FINAL – LIBERTY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
Game: at No. 1 seed St. Lawrence University (19-7, 14-2 Liberty League)
(St. Lawrence Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)        
Site: Canton, NY
Facility:  Berkman Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: March 1, 2014
Time: 3 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Liberty League Tournament Matchup
Category	Vassar	St. Lawrence
Scoring Offense	70.1	63.3
Scoring Defense	60.1	57.6
FG%	41.4	38.7
FG% Defense	36.2	33.2
3PT%	37.3	31.0
FT%	76.0	71.7
RPG	44.7	43.7
TPG	14.3	18.0
APG	14.0	15.5
SPG	8.1	6.6
BPG	4.0	6.0

What To Watch For
Saturday afternoon's game with the Saints will be an interesting one, as the two teams have been playing two contrasting styles of play lately. Over the last six games, both squads have averaged about a six-point margin of victory, but Vassar's contests have been higher scoring, posting an average total points scored of 138.6. On the other hand, SLU and its opponents have only scored a combined 117 points per game. If the Brewers can dictate tempo and breakdown the stingy Saints defense, it could go a long way towards hanging another Liberty League banner for Vassar College.

A good matchup to watch individually is the one between St. Lawrence's Kara McDuffee and the Brewer's Caitlin Drakeley. Two of the best rebounding guards in the league, both are sparkplugs for their respective teams. McDuffee chalked up 17 rebounds and 19 points last Friday evening against the Brewers, while Drakeley finished with 16 points and 10 boards. Look for each to have a huge impact on their respective teams.

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 11-1 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 11 of its last 12 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 57.6 points per game. SLU is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league, averaging 29.8 per contest. St. Lawrence is also the biggest team down low, coming into the game with 50 more blocks than the No. 2 team in the league, chalking up 156 rejections.

Looking at the national statistical categories, St. Lawrence comes into the game as one of the best teams in the nation in blocked shots per game, ranking sixth with 6.1 per game. The Saints are also 22^nd nationally in field-goal percentage defense, and ranking in the top 100 in seven different categories as a squad. Kara McDuffee is 58^th in the country in double-doubles with 11, and also ranks 65^th in Division III with 10.3 boards per night. The Saints are four-time Liberty League champions, including earning last year's title with a win over William Smith.

The Saints are one of the more balanced teams in the conference, as just one player on the team is in the top 10 in scoring. McDuffee averages 13.9 points to pace the Saints, while Kelly Legg pours in 12.8 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 70 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:
VC – G – Cydni Matsuoka (18.7 PPG), G – Caitlin Drakeley (12.8 PPG), G – Allyson Pemberton (6.6 PPG), F – Hannah Senftleber (14.8 PPG), F – Michaela Janowski (3.5 PPG).

SLU - F – Caroline Dalton (8.4 PPG), F – Kelly Legg (12.8 PPG), G – Kara McDuffee (13.9 PPG), G - Allison Cady (9.0 PPG), G – Cassie St. Hilaire (8.3 PPG).

Against St. Lawrence All-Time
The Saints have held a decided advantage against the Brewers over the years, winning 25 of the last 31 games between the two teams. VC has won three of the last five, including an earlier season meeting in Poughkeepsie, a 65-60 victory in the AFC. The Brewers have had success in Berkman Gymnasium though, winning both of their Liberty League titles on that floor.

Previous Meetings: (Jan. 25, 2014 – VC, 65-60) – (Feb. 21, 2014 – SLU, 75-66)

Second Half Sensation
The Brewers have played well in the second half this year, outscoring its opponents by 134 in the second half, or an average 5.2 points in the second half.

Cydni See, Cydni Do
Senior guard Cydni Matsuoka (Sacramento, CA/John F. Kennedy) comes into Saturday's title game with the 15^th best assists per game clip in the nation, handing out 5.8 helpers per game.

Three Point Snipers
The Brewers as a team this year are 12^th in Division III in three-point shooting percentage, making an impressive 36.6 percent from downtown.

12^th On The Board
Vassar College is ranked 12^th in three different national categories, including the aforementioned three-point shooting, along with free-throw percentage (76.1) and personal fouls per game (13.9).

Big Game Bunch
This season, Vassar has played very well in big games. The Brewers own wins over No. 3 Montclair State, as well as victories over regionally ranked Hartwick College and William Smith College. In the Liberty League Tournament, VC is 5-1 all-time, including back-to-back titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) and senior Hannah Senftleber (Burlington, VT/Burlington) have been on of the best double-double tandems in the League this year. The two have combined to tally 19 double-doubles, while chalking up two games this season where both accomplished the feat in the same game.

Team Effort
This year the Brewers have gotten contributions from everyone on the roster. Seven players, of the eight that dress for Vassar, are averaging more points per game than they did in 2012-13. Also, last year's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Colleen O'Connell has been a great leader on the bench, helping the coaching staff and staying involved after her early season injury.

Over 40
This year, the Brewers are a perfect 15-0 when shooting at or above 40 percent. In games when they have come up short of that threshold, they are 6-5.

On Pace
Vassar College's goal this year was to be a stingy defensive team, which it has been, but the offense hasn't suffered. VC is on its way to averaging more points (currently 70.1 PPG) per game this year than any other season in program history.

Might As Well Make It Three
The Brewers have done well when trying to extend a winning streak to three in a row, going 4-0 after winning the previous two games to start a winning stretch.

27 Up, 27 Down
Senior Cydni Matsuoka has scored 27 points in three consecutive contests, increasing her scoring average from 17.6 to 18.7 in just three games. She also has tallies 19 or more points in eight straight.

Battle Tested
Vassar 2-0 in Liberty League title games, earning wins in both trips to the championship contest.

Two Of The Best
Saturday's tilt between St. Lawrence and the Brewers will feature the Liberty League's last three coaches of the year, as VC's Candice Brown won the award in 2010-11 and 2012-13, with Dan Roiger of SLU earned the accolades for the Saint's undefeated 16-0 LL year in 2011-12.

Regionally Recognized
Vassar College comes into Saturday's game with the Saints ranked No. 2 in the East region in the last installment of the NCAA Regional Rankings.