Balanced Team Effort Leads Vassar Past Castleton

By Amie Canfield

NAPLES, FL – Powered by points from across the lineup, the Vassar College women’s basketball team rebounded for a 75-38 win over Castleton University at the Naples Shootout on Monday afternoon. The victory moves the Brewers to 6-4 on the season, while the Spartans are now 6-5 overall.

It was an all-around effort for Vassar on Monday as 10-of-12 players scored at least two points, while the team itself shot 46.0% on the day, including an outstanding 76.0% margin in the opening half which saw the Brewers own a 50-10 lead at the half. On the other side, the Brewers defense proved stellar, holding the Spartans to just a 26.7% margin from the floor.

Leading the VC offense for the second night in a row was senior captain Isa Peczuh, who shot 6-of-11 and made five three-pointers in the contest. Classmate and captain Jackie Cenan added 13 points, while fellow senior captain Sophie Nick finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Junior Ryan DeOrio added eight points and eight boards, while sophomore Dani Douglas came off the bench for nine points.

For the Spartans, Brooke Raiche reached double digits scoring for the third game in a row and the ninth time this season, leading the way with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. She added four rebounds and two assists. Katlyn Toomey added five points and four rebounds, while Elise Magro and Emilee Bose had four points each. Kylie Wright led the team with seven rebounds off the bench.

The Brewers scored the first seven points of the game before taking its first double-digit advantage at the midway point, 13-3. The first quarter ended with Vassar ahead 23-10 following late bucket by freshman Alex Lee for the Brewers.

Vassar’s edge swelled to 20 points when rookie Emily Tincher made a three midway through the second quarter, giving the Brewers a 37-17 edge. A pair of free throws by Wright made it 43-20 with 3:21 to play in the half, but those would be Castleton’s last points before the break as Vassar finished the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go into the locker room ahead 50-20.

The Brewers took their largest lead of the game in the third quarter when sophomore Sarah Gillooly dropped in a layup following a steal to give Vassar a 69-27 edge. Raiche put in a layup of her own to end the quarter with the Spartans behind, 69-29.

Castleton buckled down in the final 10 minutes, holding Vassar scoreless for more than four minutes to open the fourth quarter and posting a 7-1 run over the frames first seven-plus minutes. A late three by Vassar capped the action, giving the contest its final score of 75-38.

Vassar is now idle until January 10th when it opens 2020 Liberty League action at home against St. Lawrence.