Poughkeepsie, NY – Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) led three players in double-figures with a game-high 20 points and sophomore
Caroline Siekman (Islesboro, ME) collected a career-high 11 rebounds as the Vassar College Women's Basketball team pulled away for its ninth straight win, a 68-51 triumph over visiting St. Lawrence.
Friday's win pushes Vassar to 10-1 overall on the season, 4-0 in Liberty League play and a perfect 5-0 at home to date. The win is the third straight for the Brewers over the Saints and the fourth in the last five meetings between the two programs.
First Half
- After trading the lead over the first half of the opening period, Vassar used a 6-0 spurt to open a 13-8 lead on a Maddie Ahearn (Bethlehem, PA) bucket with 2:08 left in the quarter.
- After the Saints cut the deficit back to just 13-12, Ahearn canned a three-pointer with 35 seconds left to give the Brewers a 16-12 advantage through 10 minutes of play.
- The Brewers used a 10-0 run covering just over four minutes in the second frame to open a 28-14 lead on a Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) fast break conversion with 2:29 left before halftime.
- Harvey scored five points in the final 1:57 of the first half, including a three-pointer that gave Vassar a half-high 33-16 lead, before the Brewers went into the break with a 33-18 advantage.
- Vassar closed the opening 20 minutes converting at 41.7-percent from the floor despite a 3-for-11 effort from behind the three-point arc.
- The Brewers' defense stifled the Saints in the first half, allowing St. Lawrence to shoot just 20.6-percent overall, including a 2-for-15 mark from three-point range.
Second Half
- The Brewers came out of halftime and opened a game-high 37-18 lead on a pair of McDermed conversions over the opening 90 seconds of the third period.
- St. Lawrence answered with a 14-0 stretch, highlighted by nine points from Elizabeth Flynn, to slice the Brewers advantage to 37-32 halfway through the third quarter.
- Vassar stopped the run with a Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) conversion and regained a double-figure lead, at 45-34, on a Harvey jumper with 2:30 left in the period.
- The Saints pulled back to within six points late in the period, but three straight free-throws closed the quarter for the Brewers and sent them to the fourth quarter leading 48-39.
- Vassar outscored St. Lawrence by eight in the final frame and shot nearly 53-percent from the floor over the final 10 minutes.
- A Gelb triple with 6:53 left in the contest pushed the Brewers in front 58-42.
- Vassar matched its game-high advantage when Gelb converted a layup with just under two minutes left to play to give the Brewers a 68-49 lead.
- The Vassar defense held St. Lawrence to just two points over the final 3:29 of the game to secure the final 17-point decision.
For The Brewers
- Harvey led all scorers in the game and reached the 20-point mark for the second straight game and fourth time this season. Harvey went 8-for-16 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
- McDermed finished the victory with 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting, adding three rebounds.
- Gelb reached double-figures with 13 points on a 6-for-12 effort from the floor to go along with six rebounds.
- Siekman reached double-figures in rebounds for the first time as a Brewer, hauling in a game and career-high 11 caroms. Siekman added two assists, a block and two points for Vassar.
- Ahearn and Naiya Kurnik (Fallbrook, CA) each tallied seven points with Kurnik hauling in six rebounds.
- Bella Tawney (Simsbury, CT) closed out the night with four points, five boards and a trio of assists.
For The Saints
- Flynn led the visitors with 11 points and equaled the game-high with 11 rebounds.
- Caelan McHarney led all players with four assists and chipped in six points.
- Jackie Malley and Hannah Van Dyke each scored six points for St. Lawrence.
Game Statistics
- Vassar shot 44.1-percent overall in the game and went 5-for-21 from three-point range.
- St. Lawrence was limited to a 32.8-percent conversion rate and a 6-for-26 effort from three-point range.
- Vassar secured 11 offensive rebounds on the night, leading to a 12-0 advantage in second chance scoring.
- The Brewers finished the contest with a 38-24 edge in paint points.
What's Next
- Vassar looks for its 10th straight victory on Saturday when it plays host to Clarkson.
- St. Lawrence heads to Bard on Saturday to take on the Raptors.
