POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 9, 2016) — The Vassar College women's basketball team (7-14, 4-8 Liberty League) saw its winning streak snap at three against Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, but looks to rebound on Friday when it plays Union College in Schenectady, NY at 6 p.m. The Brewers will then conclude their brief road swing in Saratoga Springs, NY when they face Skidmore College on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Game Details
Opponent: at Union College (14-6, 8-4 Liberty League)
Links:
(Vassar's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Union Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Schenectady, NY
Facility: Viniar Athletic Center
Date: February 12, 2016
Time: 6 p.m. Friday
Coverage: (Live Stats)(Live Video)

Game Details
Opponent: at Skidmore College (12-9, 6-6 Liberty League)
Links:
(Vassar's Women's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Skidmore Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Saratoga Springs, NY
Facility: Williamson Sports Center
Date: February 13, 2016
Time: 2 p.m. Saturday
Coverage: (Live Stats)(Live Video)

What To Look For
Vassar picked up wins against St. Lawrence University, Mount Saint Mary College (NY) and William Smith College before most recently falling to RIT on Saturday, 73-58. In the loss, three Brewers scored in double figures: Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood) and Nicole Teta (Maspeth, NY/Archbishop Molloy) tallied 16 points apiece, while Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) added 13.  The first half was neck-and-neck, but the Tigers outscored the Brewers 23-8 in the third quarter to claim the lead for good.

A Look At The Union Dutchwomen (14-6, 8-4 Liberty)
The Dutchwomen are in the midst of a rut, coming into Friday's game on a two-game skid. Prior to falling to St. Lawrence and Clarkson University this past weekend, the Dutchwomen hadn't dropped back-to-back games since the 2014-15 season when they fell to SLU and CU on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17.  Union's most recent game, a 59-57 loss to CU on Saturday, ended with the Thoroughbreds rallying to outscore the Dutchwomen 16-8 in the final frame. For Union, Erin Lyons had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Sophie Borg added a team-high 14 points.

Union has been solid defensively against its opponents, holding opponents to a League-low 52.6 points per game to have the highest scoring margin at 9.3. The Dutchwomen have also shot well from the floor for a conference-leading 43.1 percent and have shot well from the foul line for 70.9 percent, good for second-best. Union's opponents have struggled from the foul line to shoot a conference-low 63.4 percent. The Dutchwomen have pulled down just 38.4 rebounds per game, good for second lowest in the conference. Union has struggled to take care of the ball, having a .64 assist-to-turnover ratio. Only Bard has a worse ratio at .33.

Against Union All-Time
Vassar is 14-28 against Union all-time since their first meeting in 1989. Prior to the Dutchwomen winning the two most recent games, Vassar won six in a row, dating back to 2012.

A Look At The Skidmore Thoroughbreds (12-9, 6-6 Liberty League)
Before the Thoroughbreds face the Brewers, they'll look to keep their two-game winning streak alive against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday. Their two wins came on the road against SLU and most recently Sage Colleges. Against Sage, Skidmore never trailed on its way to a 90-78 non-conference victory. The Thoroughbreds shot 50 percent, as three Skidmore players scored in double figures: Kelly Donnelly scored a game-high 28 points to go with 13 rebounds, Veronica Moceri added 13 points and Migle Vilunaite finished with 11. Donnelly is first in the Liberty League in scoring with 17.7 points and third with 10 rebounds per game. The sophomore shoots 51.4 percent from the floor, which is second only behind RIT's Tara Lynch (53 percent).

Skidmore is second in the Liberty League with 67.5 points per game, but the Thoroughbreds have struggled from the foul line to shoot a conference-worst 64.6 percent. The Thoroughbreds have the second-highest turnover margin at 2.00 only behind Clarkson (6.71). Skidmore has swiped 10.71 steals per contest, which is second only behind Clarkson (13.81).

Against Skidmore All-Time
Vassar is 15-28 versus Skidmore all-time, dating back to their first meeting in 1988. The Brewers split the 2014-15 season series with the Thoroughbreds, most recently winning 61-40 on Jan. 30, 2015.

Second-Half Surplus
The Brewers have been effective coming out of intermission, as they have outscored their opponents in the second half in five of their past six games.

Line 'Em Up
Vassar has been consistent from the foul line, making 70.1 percent of its shots, behind St. Lawrence (73.2) and Union (70.9). The Brewers' opponents have also shot well from the line, hitting 71.8 percent, which is good for first in the League.

Take Care
The Brewers have taken great care of the ball, having the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at .91. Only St. Lawrence (1.04) and RIT (1.01) are ahead of them.

Sharing Is Caring
The Brewers have been generous with the ball, averaging 14.52 assists per contest, only behind St. Lawrence (16.76) and RIT (15.43).

Stuffed
Vassar has shown excellent anticipation, as it leads the conference with 4.62 blocks per game. The next-leading team is RPI, which averages 4.05 blocks per contest.

Terrific Teta
Nicole Teta has dazzled in the past six games to average 13.8 points in that span for the Brewers. Prior to this six-game stretch, the freshman had scored in double figures twice. In the first of those six games on Jan. 26 against Bard, Teta poured in a game and career-high 23 points with four triples in 22 minutes off the bench. Teta is sixth in the conference with 1.6 threes per game.

Dynamic Duo
Vassar boasts two scorers within the Top 10 in the Liberty League. Ariella Rosenthal (15.4 points per game) and Caitlin Drakeley (12.1) rank seventh and 10th, respectively. Rosenthal is also sixth in the conference, shooting 41.4 percent from the floor.

Anchor
Rose Serafini (Milton, ON, Can/Milton District) has been holding down the Brewers defensively. The senior ranks first in the Liberty League with 3.3 blocks and seventh with 7.8 rebounds per game. The next leading shot blocker is RPI's Shaina Iton, who averages two per contest.

Shot Swatter
Rose Serafini recently made school history Jan. 30 during Vassar's victory over St. Lawrence. The senior became the Vassar College women's basketball team's all-time shot block leader, as her third swat of the day gave her 168 for her career. That eclipsed the 167 that Emily Haueser tallied in her career.

Need A Hand?
Vassar has dished out as many or more assists than its opponents in seven of its past eight games. In those seven games, the Brewers out-assisted their opponents by a margin of 106-72.

So Close
The Brewers have kept many of their competitions close this season, losing 11 games by seven points or less.

Scoring 70
Vassar has won all three times it has scored at least 70 points, most recently beating St. Lawrence 76-60 on Jan. 30.

Up Next
The Vassar women will head back to Poughkeepsie for their final regular season game at home.  Game time against Bard College is set for 6 p.m. in the Athletics and Fitness Center.