Saratoga Springs, NY – The Vassar College Women's Basketball team won the season series against Liberty League preseason favorite Skidmore on Tuesday evening with a hard fought 61-58 victory and in the process secured its 11^th consecutive win. Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA) posted a double-double, including a team-high 19 points, while Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) totaled 18 points.

Tuesday's win improves Vassar to 12-1 overall on the season and a perfect 6-0 in Liberty League play, while Skidmore falls to 9-4 and 4-2 against conference opponents, with both losses coming at the hands of the Brewers.

First Half

• Both teams got off to sluggish starts in the opening stanza, with a Maddie Ahearn (Bethlehem, PA) lay-in at the 3:09 mark giving the Brewers just a 6-4 advantage.
• Gelb spread the lead to 8-4 with a lay-up with 2:38 left in the quarter.
• McDermed finished off the first quarter scoring with a jumper in the closing seconds to give Vassar an 11-7 lead through the opening 10 minutes.
• Vassar went 5-for-12 from the floor in the opening period, while the Brewers defense held the Thoroughbreds to just 2-for-17 from the field.
• The Brewers spread their lead to as many as six points twice in the middle stages of the second period when Caroline Siekman (Islesboro, ME) converted a layup to give Vassar a 16-10 lead and a Gelb bucket pushed the Brewers in front 18-12 with 4:30 left before halftime.
• Skidmore answered with a 7-0 spurt, highlighted by four points from Julia Blanck, to pull in front 19-18 with 2:42 left in the first half.
• After the two teams traded the lead and a Gelb free-throw knotted the score at 21-21, an Andi Levitz triple at the horn sent Skidmore into the break with a 24-21 advantage.
• Vassar went just 3-for-10 from the floor in the second quarter and finished the half shooting 36.4-percent from the floor and converted on just five of 12 free-throws.
• Skidmore finished the half shooting 22.2-percent, including a 2-for-11 mark from three-point range.

Second Half

• Skidmore opened the second half with a 10-4 stretch, capped by an Amelia Medolla three-pointer, to grab its largest lead of the game at 34-25 with 6:56 left in the third stanza.
• The Thoroughbreds maintained the lead until a 9-0 run over the final 3:33 of the quarter sent the Brewers to the fourth quarter with a 40-39 advantage.
• Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) sparked the run with six points, including a jumper in the closing seconds to push the Brewers back in front for the first time since the 1:56 mark of the second quarter.
• The game stayed within a two-point window to start the final period until Naiya Kurnik (Fallbrook, CA) scored four straight points to give Vassar a 48-44 lead with 5:08 left in regulation time. The run broke a 44-44 tie and gave the Brewers the lead for good in the game.
• A McDermed jumper with 2:29 left gave Vassar a 52-45 lead, its largest lead of the quarter.
• Skidmore battled back to within two points twice in the final 10 seconds, but three free-throws from McDermed were the difference as Vassar withstood a half court three-point attempt.
• Vassar shot an even 50-percent from the floor in the third quarter, but finished the second half shooting 39.1-percent overall and went 1-for-5 from three-point range.
• Skidmore converted at 35.5-percent after halftime and connected on four of its seven second half three-point attempts.
• Vassar outscored Skidmore 21-8 from the free-throw line in the second half.

For The Brewers

• Gelb scored in double-figures for the 11^th time this season, posting a team-high 19 points on a 7-for-10 effort from the floor. Gelb connected on the team's only three-pointer of the game and closed a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds. Gelb closed out a big night with two steals and four blocked shots.
• McDermed totaled 18 points on the strength of a 10-for-14 effort from the free-throw line, adding eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.
• Harvey chipped in eight points and three boards.
• Kurnik posted seven points and equaled the team-high with two assists.
• Siekman secured eight rebounds and added three points.

For The Thoroughbreds

• Blanck led all players in the game with 20 points and 15 rebounds while adding a pair of blocks.
• Medolla tallied 17 points, connecting on three triples, to go along with three caroms and a pair of helpers.
• Madison Meyer contributed seven points and five rebounds.

Game Statistics

• Vassar shot 37.8-percent from the field on the night and went just 1-for-8 from three-point range. The mark for makes and attempts from behind the arc were both season lows.
• Skidmore finished the night shooting 28.4-percent and went 6-for-18 from three-point range.
• Vassar outscored Skidmore from the free-throw line 26-14.
• Skidmore held a convincing 20-9 edge in offensive rebounds leading to a 15-0 advantage in second chance points.
• The Brewers finished the night with a slim 22-16 edge in paint points.

What's Next

• Vassar remains on the road when it travels to RPI on Friday.
• Skidmore heads to RIT for a conference contest on Friday.