Vassar Brewers Downs Bard in League Action

By Amie Canfield

POUGHKEEPSIE – Behind a career-high 20 points from rookie Maddie Ahearn, the Vassar College women’s basketball team defeated Bard College, 70-41 in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon. The victory moves the Brewers to 10-7 overall with a 7-3 mark in league play, while the Raptors fall to 1-14 and 0-8 in the Liberty League.

Ahearn came off the bench in today’s contest, going 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-9 from three-point range, adding a rebound, an assist and a steal. Classmate and guard Sierra McDermed added nine points with a game-best 11 rebounds, tacking on a game-best five assists with two steals. Senior guard and captain Alex Lee had eight points, while rookie center Bella Tawney added seven points and three caroms.

For Bard, Thalia Grandinetti posted a game-high 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the floor. She also added eight rebounds, and assist and two steals. Shirley Dong posted eight points with five boards and a steals, while Maggy Peyton added seven points, nine rebounds, an assist and a block.

The Brewers owned a 33-18 lead after the opening half and continued to cruise from there. Third quarter action saw Ahearn light up as she dropped in a three at 6:27, followed by another at 4:35 to open a 19 point (41-22) advantage for the Brewers. Bard answered on the other end, but a bucket from rookie Naiya Kurnik, coupled with a three-pointer by sophomore guard Ashley Mostrom at the 55 second mark, sent Vassar into the final stanza with a 46-24 advantage.

Bard opened the fourth with four straight points, all from Grandinetti, but Ahearn responded once again as she dropped in a pair of three’s, sandwiched between a Caroline Siekman layup, to make ti a 54-30 margin for the home team at 6:07. Peyton knocked in a jumper at 4:41, but another three from Ahearn and a layup from Margo Gramiak pushed the lead to 32 (64-32) with 3:31 to go. Grandinetti added another layup with 1:11 on the clock, but McDermed closed out the scoring with a three pointer at the 19 minute mark.

Vassar returns to the court on Friday when it hosts St. Lawrence University at the AFC Gym. Game time is set for 5:30pm.