POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 30, 2016) — The Vassar College women's basketball team clamped down on defense to top Drew University at the Athletics and Fitness Center on Wednesday, 67-48.
"Today was the first time we played a really complete game for us," coach Candice Brown said. "We outscored them every quarter except one, but our defensive intensity was great today."
Ariella Rosenthal stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points on 57 percent shooting, seven rebounds and five assists, as four Brewers notched double figures. Isa Peczuh finished with 14 points, going 4-of-6 from three, Samarah Cook added 13 points on 50 percent shooting, and Sophie Nick contributed 10 points and nine boards.
The Brewers shot 49 percent from the floor and 40 percent (8-of-20) from downtown, while holding the Rangers to 30 and 0 percent (0-of-12), respectively.
"What's going to be key for us is having that same kind of play and having some consistency moving forward," Brown said.
Vassar also won the battle of the boards, 43-27, scoring nine second-chance points in the process.
For Drew, two Rangers reached double figures. Sam Lane finished with 14 points and six boards, while Michaela Keegan had 12 points and two steals.
Coming off a double-double in her last outing, Rosenthal picked up where she left off, scoring or assisting on nine points in Vassar's opening 16-4 run. The Brewers and Rangers traded buckets before Vassar took a 21-9 advantage into the second stanza.
The sides continued to exchange baskets in the second quarter before Vassar ripped off eight straight points to make it a 37-20 ballgame with 1:49 remaining in the half. Peczuh highlighted the spurt with a steal-and-score before hitting a triple, thanks to an assist from Rosenthal.
From there, Drew scored eight of the next 12 to pull as close as 13, but Nick caught fire shortly thereafter, connecting on a layup and jumper. Rosenthal knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Brewers a 20-point, 49-29, advantage.
The Rangers used a 10-4 run to trim the deficit to 53-39 going into the fourth quarter, but the Brewers continued to dominate defensively, pushing their lead to as many as 21 before closing out the game.
Vassar wraps up its three-game homestand, hosting Ithaca College on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tipoff from AFC is set for 3 p.m.
—VASSAR—
