Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Vassar College Athletics

Official Site of VASSAR Athletics
Julia Harvey
Stockton Photo, Inc.
59
Montclair St. MSU 1-1,0-0 NJAC
72
Winner Vassar VAS 1-0,0-0 Liberty League
Montclair St. MSU
1-1,0-0 NJAC
59
Final
72
Vassar VAS
1-0,0-0 Liberty League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Montclair St. MSU 20 11 18 10 59
Vassar VAS 19 20 15 18 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Brewers Pull Away For Season Opening Victory

Mesaris earns first victory as head coach

Poughkeepsie, NY – The Vassar College Women's Basketball overcame a one-point deficit midway through the third period and outscored Montclair State by eight in the final 10 minutes to pull away for an impressive 72-59 season opening victory Saturday evening. The win marks the first season opening win for the Brewers since 2019 and marks the first as a head coach in the career of Meredith Mesaris.
 
Saturday's win opens the Brewers's season and 1-0 and gives them their first victory over the Red Hawks since a 63-58 triumph in Poughkeepsie on December 11, 2013.
 
First Half
  • A high scoring first quarter saw Vassar go 7-for-15 from the floor, including three triples, but saw itself trailing 20-19 after 10 minutes.
  • After falling behind by three on an Alexis Strollo bucket with 2:12 left in the opening stanza, Vassar got a three-pointer from Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) that knotted the score at 19-19 with 42 seconds left in the period.
  • An Olivia Vero free-throw for the Red Hawks in the closing moments of the period gave the visitors the slim advantage heading into the second frame.
  • After allowing 20 points in the opening period, Vassar held Montclair State to just 11 tallies in the second stanza and a 26.3-percent conversion rate from the field.
  • Vassar quickly gained the lead in the second period on a Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) three-pointer and spread its lead to 26-20 on back-to-back buckets from McDermed just under three minutes into the quarter.
  • Vassar spread its lead to 30-22 on a Tash Thompson (Los Altos Hills, CA) bucket in transition with 4:06 left before halftime.
  • After the Red Hawks climbed back to within 32-29 on a Megan Duffy triple, Vassar used a three-pointer from Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) and a bucket from Gelb to regain a 37-29 lead with 1:16 left in the second frame.
  • A pair of Maddie Ahearn (Bethlehem, PA) free-throws in the final minute of the half sent the Brewers into the locker room with a 39-31 advantage.
  • Vassar shot 40.5-percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes and canned five three-pointers.
Second Half
  • Coming out of halftime, Montclair State knocked down a trio of three-pointers to slice their deficit to 41-40 with 7:41 left in the third frame.
  • Harvey knocked down a three to spread Vassar's lead back to 44-41 and the Brewers would maintain the lead until a Shannon Hughes triple with 4:51 left in the quarter that gave the visitors a 47-46 advantage.
  • Following the Hughes three-pointer, Vassar outscored Montclair State 8-2 to end the period and carry a 54-49 lead into the final stanza.
  • After hitting just two three-pointers in the first half, Montclair State went 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the third period.
  • After regaining the lead on a Harvey three-point play with 4:02 left in the third, Vassar would not trail again in the contest.
  • The Brewers converted at 53.3-percent in the fourth period, while holding the Red Hawks to a 3-for-15 effort from the floor in the final 10 minutes.
  • Vassar moved its lead to double-figures for the first time on a Gelb conversion that pushed the Brewers in front 59-49 with 8:37 left to play.
  • The Brewers pushed their advantage to a game-high 17 points twice, including on a Caroline Siekman (Islesboro, ME) bucket with 64 seconds left to play.
  • Vassar converted at 42.3-percent from the floor after halftime and held Montclair State to 35.8-percent shooting.
 
For The Brewers
  • Harvey led a balanced scoring attack with a game-high 23 points, going 8-for-21 from the floor with four triples. Harvey added six rebounds and three steals.
  • McDermed produced 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals.
  • Gelb scored 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and a team-high three assists.
  • Naiya Kurnik (Fallbrook, CA) rounded out a quartet in double-figures with 11 points, adding five rebounds.
  • Bella Tawney (Simsbury, CT) led the team with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
 
For The Red Hawks
  • Duffy led Montclair State with 21 points after going 9-for-23 from the floor.
  • Isabella Orlando chipped in 14 points and swiped two steals.
  • Vero led the team with 11 caroms.
  • Kendall Hodges paced the Red Hawks with three assists.
 
Game Statistics
  • Vassar finished the night shooting 41.3-percent from the field and went 8-for-28 from three-point range.
  • Montclair State was limited to 34.8-percent shooting and a 6-for-21 effort from three-point range.
  • Vassar outscored Montclair State 20-10 off of turnovers.
  • The Brewers held a 30-24 edge in paint points.
  • Montclair State turned 16 offensive rebounds into a 19-7 advantage in second chance scoring.
 
What's Next
  • Vassar takes to the road for the first time when it heads to New Paltz on Tuesday.
  • Montclair State hosts King's (Pa.) on Wednesday.
Print Friendly Version