Brewers Sweep Opening Conference Weekend

POUGHKEEPSIE – Lindsey Shoulders scored a game-high 19 points and fellow First Year Elodie Ware netted a career-high 11 points on Saturday as the Vassar College Women’s Basketball team posted a 66-58 victory over visiting William Smith.

Saturday’s triumph gives Vassar a sweep of the first conference weekend of the season and evens its record at 3-3 while moving the Brewers to 2-0 against league rivals. William Smith is winless in six outings and 0-2 in conference play.

The two sides exchanged the lead four times in the early going, before a Ware three-point play pushed Vassar in front 12-9.

The Brewers would never lead by more than three points in the opening frame and carried a 17-16 advantage into the second quarter.

Vassar spread its lead to 22-16 following a Ware triple and a bucket from Sophia Ippolito to open the second quarter scoring.

The Brewers would lead by as many as six points four times in the second period, before a 7-0 run from the Herons, capped by a Mackenzie Mandyck three-pointer, pushed them in front 29-28.

The two teams would trade the lead over the final 1:57 of the first half before an Ippolito bucket in the closing seconds sent the two teams to the intermission deadlocked at 32-32.
Vassar shot 35.1-percent over the opening twenty minutes, but finished 1-for-11 from three-point range.

William Smith shot 42.3-percent before halftime and connected on four three-pointers.
Vassar would not trail after grabbing a 34-32 lead on a Shoulders bucket early in the third quarter.

After William Smith knotted the score at 36-36, Vassar used a 9-2 run, capped by a Ware layup, to surge in front 47-38 with 6:09 left in the third quarter.

Leading by six heading into the final frame, Vassar pushed its lead to double-figures for the first time on a Sierra McDermed conversion that made the score 56-45.

The Brewers grabbed a game-high 64-50 lead on a Maureen Regan fast break bucket and the lead would not fall below double-figures until the Herons cut their disadvantage to the final eight-point decision in the closing seconds.

Vassar shot 37.1-percent from the floor after halftime and knocked in a pair of three-pointers.

William Smith cooled to 35.7-percent shooting after halftime and went 1-for-9 from three-point range.

For The Brewers
Shoulders went 8-for-14 from the floor on the way to the game-high point total and secured nine rebounds for the Brewers.

Ware reached double-figures for the first time on 4-for-6 shooting. Ware rounded out a strong day with four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a pair of steals.

Ippolito missed a career-high by a single point, posting 13 points to go along with two rebounds and two steals.

Regan notched double-figures for the fourth time in six games, scoring 14 points, adding three rebounds and a trio of assists.

Ava Gurley led all players in the game with a career-high 12 rebounds and chipped in five points.

For The Herons
Miranda Martin led William Smith with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Giana Lobozzo handed out three assists, scored eight points and secured six rebounds.

Mandyck chipped in nine points, two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.