POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 20, 2015) – Senior Rose Serafini (Milton, Ontario, Canada/Milton Area) posted a dominating performance in the opening game of the Vassar College Tip Off Tournament Friday night, posting 10 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and four steals as VC knocked off the College of Mount Saint Vincent 62-56 from the Athletics and Fitness Center. The victory was also the 100th for Candice Brown as the head coach of the Vassar College women's basketball team, who has led the Brewers to three Liberty League titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, helping VC to its first-ever tournament victory in 2014. 

The Brewers suffered from some poor shooting in the first quarter for the second consecutive contest, but were still able to take a 12-11 lead into the second period thanks to eight points from senior guard Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug). After trailing 7-2, VC put together an 8-0 run to take a 10-7 advantage.

In the second quarter, Mount Saint Vincent led by as many as four on a pair of occasions, the second coming at 20-16 after a lay-up from Nicole Oliver at 7:34. The Brewers scored the next five points, and the teams battled over the next few minutes to a 28-all tie with 2:33 remaining in the half. The Brewers scored the final seven points of the period to take a 35-28 edge into the intermission.

After the break, the Dolphins battled back and regained the lead with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter on a layup by Kristen Merrell, taking a slim 45-44 advantage into the final period. Mount Saint Vincent extended its lead to three early in the fourth, but a 7-0 run by the Brewers pushed their lead back up to four at 51-47 after a jumper from Drakeley with 8:00 minutes to play.

The defense came alive for the Brewers down the stretch, highlighted by Serafini, as VC rattled off an 11-0 spurt capped by two free throws by Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood) to take a 55-47 lead. The Dolphins cut the lead to just two with 3:49 to play following three consecutive layups, but another jumper by Serafini gave VC a four-point edge at 57-53.

Following a layup by Theresa Carey with 32 seconds to play, Drakeley calmly nailed a pair of freebies to make the score 60-55. After the Dolphins made one of two from the line, the Brewers put the game away thanks to a pair of free throws by sophomore Samarah Cook (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow).

Drakeley finished with game-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Brewers, making 5-of-6 from the line. Rosenthal added 12 points and five boards for VC Friday night, while Cook posted 11 points after going 3-of-7 on field goals. The Brewers shot 39.7 percent (23-58) from the floor, making 14-of-20 at the free throw line. VC did turn the ball over 25 times, but won the rebounding battle 48-40. Senior point guard Alex Moon (Mission Hills, CA/Bishop Alemany) added six assists and five rebounds as well for the Brewers off the bench, while freshman guard Nicole Teta (Maspeth, NY/Archbishop Molloy) also had five helpers. 

CMSV was paced by the 16 points from Carey, while Kelly Nola supplemented the offense with 11 points off the bench for the Dolphins.

The Brewers advance to play in the championship game Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against the winner of the night game featuring Haverford College and Medaille College. Mount Saint Vincent plays in the consolation game at 1 p.m. in the AFC.