Poughkeepsie, NY – The Vassar College Women's Basketball team cruised to its third straight victory to open the season following an impressive 77-52 home win over #22/23 New Paltz. Three Brewers scored in double-figures in the game, including senior
Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) who became the 14
th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Vassar opens the season at 3-0, while New Paltz falls to 0-2 in the early going. Tuesday's win over the Hawks is the second in the last three meetings between the two local rivals.
First Half
- After both teams went scoreless over the first nearly three minutes of the game, Vassar got back-to-back buckets from Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) and Caroline Siekman (Islesboro, ME) to open the scoring.
- A three-pointer from McDermed at the 3:35 mark of the opening stanza pushed Vassar's lead to 11-4.
- The Brewers lead reached double-figures for the first time when Bella Tawney (Simsbury, CT) hit a jumper to move the Brewers in front 17-6.
- Harvey connected on a jumper in the closing seconds of the first period to close out a 9-0 run for Vassar that pushed its lead to 20-6 through 10 minutes of play.
- After a sluggish start, Vassar shot 44.4-percent from the floor in the first quarter.
- New Paltz converted at just 16.7-percent over the first 10 minutes.
- Vassar scored the first 11 points of the second stanza, including a Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) layup that moved the Brewers in front 31-6 with 6:11 left before halftime.
- The second quarter lead grew to as many as 29 points on two occasions before Vassar carried a commanding 42-16 lead into the intermission.
- Vassar shot an even 50-percent from the floor in the first half and connected on a trio of three-pointers.
- New Paltz was held to 20.7-percent shooting in the first half and went 2-for-10 from three-point range.
- McDermed led all players with 18 points in the first half.
- Gelb went into halftime with a double-double, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Second Half
- Vassar was never threatened in the second half and did not let New Paltz closer than 21 points after the intermission.
- The Brewers' third period advantage ballooned to 44-16 when Harvey converted a layup in the opening minute of the second half.
- Maureen Regan (Oak Lawn, IL) drilled a three-pointer with 13 seconds left in the quarter to send Vassar to the fourth frame with a 59-34 advantage.
- Harvey delivered a layup with 7:15 left in the contest to hit 1,000 points and give the Brewers a 68-43 lead.
- Regan converted a layup with 4:45 left in the game to equal the Brewers' largest lead of the game at 72-43.
- The Hawks would close to within 22 points late in the fourth before the Brewers closed out the final 25-point decision.
- Vassar shot an efficient 51.7-percent from the floor after halftime and connected on a pair of three-pointers.
- New Paltz improved to 34.3-percent shooting in the second half, including a 7-for-14 effort from three-point range.
- Harvey scored 10 second half points to reach the career milestone.
For The Brewers
- Harvey stands with 1,002 points after totaling 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and three steals.
- McDermed led all players with a season-high 27 points, going 11-for-19 from the floor. McDermed finished a double-double with 11 rebounds while adding six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
- Gelb added 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks and four thefts.
- Siekman chipped in six points.
- Tawney hauled in nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
For The Hawks
- Six players led New Paltz with six points apiece, including Hannah Vanderzee who led the team with nine rebounds.
- Morgan Hammell supplied five points and a team-high three assists.
- Julia Sabatino also handed out three assists, adding four rebounds and a pair of steals.
Game Statistics
- Vassar shot a season-high 50.8-percent from the floor and finished the game 5-for-18 from three-point range.
- New Paltz was limited to 28.1-percent shooting while knocking down nine three-pointers.
- Vassar forced 17 turnovers leading to a 22-15 edge in points off of miscues.
- The Brewers collected 15 offensive rebounds on their way to a 16-3 edge in second chance scoring.
- Vassar dominated the paint, outscoring the Hawks 42-16 inside.
What's Next
- Vassar is off until it hosts Trinity (CT) on November 19.
- New Paltz travels to Ithaca on November 23.
