POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 15, 2016) — Two Brewers scored in double figures, but Skidmore used a second-half surge to hand the Vassar College women's basketball team a 61-54 loss at the Athletics and Fitness Center on Friday.
The Brewers were in the game all the way up to the final minute, closing the gap to four points with 29 seconds remaining. But in the end, they were unable to overcome a second-half, 11-point deficit. With the loss, the Brewers fall to 3-9 on the season and 1-3 in conference play, while the Thoroughbreds improve to 7-6 and 2-3 in the Liberty League.
Two Brewers scored in double figures: sophomore guard Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood) dropped 19 points, and senior guard Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) matched her season-best with 17.
The Brewers were excellent from the floor in the first quarter, shooting 56 percent to Skidmore's 32. They ended the quarter with a one-point, 14-13, edge, but the Thoroughbreds came ready to play in the second quarter, outscoring them 15-11 in the period.
The first half featured three ties and four lead changes, but the Thoroughbreds took a 28-25 lead into intermission after scoring five of the last seven points.
The Brewers trailed by as many as five, 23-18, in the first half, but they kept battling to close the gap by the end of the half.
Skidmore shot the ball efficiently in the second half, making half its shots on 11-of-22 shooting and holding Vassar to 22 percent. Still, the Brewers battled the whole way.
Drakeley was feeling it coming out of the break. The guard scored five straight points, a runner and a 3-pointer, to tie it up at 32 with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter. But the Thoroughbreds responded by scoring the next five points before the Brewers started chipping away again.
Drakeley's hook shot later put the Brewers within one, 39-38, with 2:07 left in the third quarter. Two layups and a free throw by Rosenthal tied it at 41, but Skidmore would take a four-point, 46-42, edge into the final frame.
The Thoroughbreds took its largest lead, 53-42, with 6:13 to go, and although the Brewers put forth an honorable effort all the way to the end, they were unable to get ahead.
Senior forward Rose Serafini (Milton, ON, CAN/Milton District) and Drakeley grabbed eight and seven boards for the Brewers, respectively, as Vassar edged Skidmore 41-40 in the rebounding battle.
Skidmore pressured Vassar on defense and capitalized on extra possessions, scoring 14 points off the Brewers' 14 turnovers. The Thoroughbreds also had help from their reserves, scoring 30 points off the bench.
Guards Kelly Donnelly and Veronica Moceri scored 19 and 12 points for Skidmore, respectively.
Vassar will have to turn around quickly with the next game scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. The Brewers will wrap up their three-game homestead versus Union College before hitting the road for another three-game stretch.
--VASSAR--
