Box Score

ROCHESTER, NY (November 17, 2012) – The school's all-time leading scorer may have graduated, but the scoring output from the Vassar College women's basketball team hasn't suffered. The tandem of junior Cydni Matsuoka and freshman Caitlin Drakeley combined for 41 points to lead the Brewers to a 79-61 victory over The College of Brockport at the Onnie's Classic.

Matsuoka poured in 24 points on 10-15 shooting (4-5 from 3-point distance) and Drakeley was nearly as proficient with a 17 point debut that saw her shoot 50 percent from the field.

The Brewers start the 2012-13 season 1-0 and will face host Nazareth College on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Brockport drops to 1-1 and plays Keuka College at 3:00 pm in the final game of the Classic.

While Matsuoka and Drakeley were highlighting the offensive side of the game, it was a suffocating Vassar defense that earned the defending Liberty League champions the victory. The Brewers forced 30 Brockport turnovers and converted 34 points off those miscues. In an impressive debut, Drakeley accounted for five of Vassar's 17 steals and a game-high nine rebounds.

Vassar held a 35-23 lead at halftime, breaking away from a 10-9 Brockport lead to surge ahead 26-16 with 5:32 until intermission. That 16-7 run saw an inside layup from freshman guard Alex Moon, a layup from Drakeley, two key jumpers from sophomore Allyson Pemberton and the prolific outside shooting of Matsuoka.

Five minutes into the second half, junior forward Hannah Senftleber connected on an inside bucket to push Vassar ahead 46-31, the largest Brewer lead of the contest. In playing catch-up nearly the entire game, the closest Brockport could come to the Brewers was a nine-point deficit, 49-40, with 9:32 to play. A Matsuoka jumper and layups from Senftleber and sophomore guard Nyah Berg quashed any Brockport comeback plans, pushing Vassar ahead 55-40 with 8:23 to play.

Brockport never threatened to supplant Vassar. The Brewers, who shot 49 percent from the field in the second half, continued to click offensively, building a 71-50 lead following a jumper by senior Natalie Allen with 3:03 to play.

Pemberton had nine points for Vassar, one shy of her career high of 10 points set against Bard last year.

Bree Fortney led Brockport with 13 points. Both Cecilia Sigrist and Kelly Grinnell had 12 points each. Alexandra Marshall had a team best seven rebounds.