POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 14, 2016) - The Vassar College women's basketball team (3-8, 1-2 Liberty League) looks to ride its momentum from Tuesday night's 72-58 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, hosting two important Liberty League contests this weekend. VC will battle Skidmore College Friday night at 6 p.m.. turning around the next afternoon to take on the Dutchwomen of Union College.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Skidmore College (6-6, 1-3 Liberty League)
Links:
(Vassar's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Skidmore's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center
Date: January 15, 2016
Time: 6 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats) - (Live Video)

Opponent: vs. Union College (9-3, 4-1 Liberty League)
Links:
(Vassar's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Union's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center
Date: January 16, 2016
Time: 2 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats) - (Live Video)

What To Look For
Home games in the Liberty League are crucial, regardless of when in the conference slate they come. In this conference, winning home contests are a must when looking to qualify for the Liberty League Tournament at the end of the season. The Brewers are in the midst of a stretch where they play eight of 11 games at home, so getting on a run now for VC is very important. Union College comes in 9-3 this season, but all three losses for the Dutch have come on the road. Skidmore as well has two road losses in four games this year, so if VC can take advantage of its home court this weekend it would go a long way towards making the four-team tournament come the end of February.

A Look At The Thoroughbreds (6-6, 1-3 Liberty League)
The defending Liberty League champions have scuffled out of the gate some this year, losing their last three games, all within the conference. The Thoroughbreds dropped their last outing to Union last Saturday 56-40, as Kelly Donnelly scored a team-high seven points on the day for Skidmore. Shooting struggles have plagued the Thoroughbreds throughout this season, registering a .345 shooting percentage this season, eighth best in the league. Skidmore also has given up the second-highest field goal percentage this year at 37.3 percent. The T'breds have made 5.6 three-pointers per game, fourth-highest in the Liberty League, but free throws have been problematic as well as Skidmore currently makes just 60.6 percent from the line, worst in the conference.

Individually, Donnelly is the leading scorer for the season for the Thoroughbreds with 14.3 points per game, eighth in the League. She also is nearly averaging a double-double, posting 9.8 rebounds per game, fourth-best in the conference. No other Skidmore player is averaging in double figures, but Amber Holgate is pouring in 8.2 points per game, having made a team-high 15 three-pointers. Sophomore Veronica Moceri is posting 7.8 points nightly for the Thoroughbreds, and Haley English leads the offense from the point with 40 assists and a team-best 35.3 percent clip for downtown. Skidmore likes to pressure for most of the game, and in doing so plays anywhere from 12 to 14 players a game.

Against Skidmore All-Time
The Brewers and Skidmore College have had some really good games over the last few seasons, as VC is 6-4 against the Thoroughbreds over the last five seasons. Skidmore leads the series 28-15 dating back to 1989, and the two teams split last year with each squad winning on their home floor.

A Look At The Dutchwomen (9-3, 4-1 Liberty League)
Union College started out hot this season, winning five of its first six games, and that trend has continued into the New Year. After a four-game winning streak to ring in 2016, the Dutchwomen finally dropped their first contest after the semester break with a 13-point loss to Liberty League leaders Rochester Institute of Technology Tuesday night. Union has shown itself to be a tough team on both sides of the ball, leading the conference and ranking 24^th nationally in scoring defense while allowing just 51.8 points a game. The Dutchwomen have played solid defense this year without fouling, posting the seventh-fewest fouls per game in the NCAA with just 13.2 a game. Union shoots a conference-best 43.3 percent from the floor, thanks to its approach of getting the ball to the rim through post ups and dribble drives.

The Dutchwomen are very tough to guard on offense because of the balance that they bring with their lineup. Six players come into the weekend averaging over seven points per game, with Abby Katz leading that group with 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Teammate Natalie Leone has started all 12 games and is pouring in 9.9 points per game along with a team-high 2.8 assists per game. Sophomore Jenni Barra leads the team in minutes per game with 27.5, while knocking down 50.0 percent of her shots from the floor and 41.5 percent from three-land. Senior Amy Fisher is posting 9.0 points per night, and freshman Sophie Borg has come off the bench in all 12 games to score 8.3 points and grab 4.5 rebounds a game. Borg is fresh off a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds against RIT. Head coach Mary Ellen Burt has a career record of 291-227, helping lead the Dutchwomen to a Liberty League title back in 2003-04.

Against Union All-Time
Union holds a 28-14 record against the Brewers since the 1988-89 season, though Vassar has won nine of the last 12 meetings. The Dutchwomen won both matchups in 2014-15, including a 51-44 decision in the AFC January 31.

Precious Jules
Freshman Julia Roellke (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie Day School) was first off the bench against RPI and was stellar, earning game MVP honors from the team. Roellke scored her first three collegiate points while adding her first three assists, a career-high six boards and five blocks in 14 minutes.

Fun For Everyone
In a 14-point win over RPI on Tuesday evening, all nine dressed Brewer players scored at least two points and grabbed at minimum one rebound.

Super Senior
Senior captain Colleen O'Connell (Maywood, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) has started the last five games for VC and the offense has benefitted. Tuesday against RPI the senior had an all-around great game, scoring eight points, grabbing seven boards, dishing out five assists and corralling three assists in a season-high 31 minutes.

Shoot The Moon
Senior Alex Moon (Mission Hills, CA/Bishop Alemany) has taken care of the ball well since being inserted as a starter five games ago. Moon has had a positive assist to turnover ratio in all but one game in the New Year, including handing out a career-high eight helpers at Clarkson.

Hands In The Air
Scoring in college basketball is down, but not for sophomore wing Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood), who is averaging 21 points per game over her last four contests. She is now fourth in the Liberty League in scoring average with 15.1 on the season.

Lucky 7
The Brewers chalked up 70 points in a game for the first time Tuesday since March 8, 2014 in a 72-71 loss to the University of Scranton in the NCAA Tournament. The scoring output snapped a 35-game stretch of not getting into the 70s.

C'Mon Stripes!
This season, Vassar is ranked 412 out of 420 NCAA Division III teams in free throw attempts, taking just 156 on the season.

Let's Take A Trip To Swat Town
The block party continues to fill up for senior Rose Serafini (Milton, ON/Milton District), as she ranks 15^th nationally in blocks per game with 3.27. Her offensive game has progressed as well, as she has averaged nine points nightly over the last three contests.

D-Up
Vassar College's field goal percentage defense is third-best in the Liberty League coming into the weekend, allowing teams to make just 36.2 percent of shots taken.

Little Help Here??
This year, opposition is shooting a whopping 73.5 percent against the Brewers from the free throw line, by far the highest opponent free throw percentage against in the conference. On average, the Liberty League average is 66.5 percent.

Board Buddies
Vassar College is one of only two teams in the conference (RIT the other) with three players in the top 16 of rebounding stat leaders within the League. Rose Serafini (8^th, 7.5), Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) (10th, 7.0), and Ariella Rosenthal (16^th, 5.5) qualify at the three.

Up Next
Vassar College heads back on the road Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23 for a difficult road swing up in the Rochester area. VC will take on conference leader RIT Friday (6 p.m.), before heading to Geneva, NY to battle William Smith College Saturday (2 p.m.).