Poughkeepsie, NY – Led by an 18-point, 16-rebound double-double from junior Tova Gelb (Sharon, MA), the Vassar College Women's Basketball team won its first Liberty League Championship since 2014 with a hard fought 44-32 triumph over Skidmore Sunday afternoon. Gelb capped the day being named the Liberty League Championship Most Outstanding Player.

Vassar, who has won three games in a row and 24 of the last 25, improves to 25-2 overall on the season. Skidmore slips to 22-5.

First Half

• Vassar got off to a quick start offensively, making six of its first 10 field goals, including a 4-for-4 start from Gelb, to open a 13-4 lead on a Gelb conversion with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
• The early nine-point advantage was the Brewers' largest of the first half before a pair of Emmy Plage free-throws made the score 13-6 through 10 minutes of play.
• Skidmore opened a sluggish second stanza with seven of the first 10 points to cut the disadvantage to 16-13 with 3:43 left before halftime.
• Gelb connected on the Brewers' first three-pointer of the game with 2:17 left in the second frame to push Vassar back out in front 19-13.
• Sierra McDermed (San Antonio, TX) capped a 5-0 closing run in the first half for the Brewers with a bucket in the final half minute to send Vassar into the intermission with a 21-13 lead.
• After starting 6-for-10 from the floor, Vassar finished the opening 20 minutes converting at 39.1-percent and went 1-for-4 from three-point range.
• Skidmore was held to 5-for-30 shooting before halftime and went 0-for-7 from three-point.
• Gelb led all scorers at the break with 11 points.

Second Half

• Skidmore came out of the break with the first four points, to pull to within 21-17 on an Amelia Medolla bucket at the 7:18 mark of the third frame.
• Julia Harvey (Delmar, NY) pushed the lead back to 24-17 with the Brewers' second three-pointer of the contest.
• Vassar moved in front by double-figures for the first time when McDermed converted a conventional three-point play to give the Brewers a 27-17 lead.
• The Brewers matched their largest of the quarter on two other occasions, including on a McDermed jumper that made the score 30-20 late in the third frame.
• Skidmore cut its disadvantage to six points on a Julia Blanck free-throw early in the final stanza, but would be unable to pull any closer the rest of the way.
• A quick 6-0 run featuring four points from Gelb and a bucket from Naiya Kurnik (Fallbrook, CA) gave Vassar its largest lead of the game at 36-24 at the 6:55 mark of the quarter.
• After a pair of pair of Blanck free-throws brought the Thoroughbreds to within 37-30, McDermed hit a step back three-pointer at the 3:32 mark to push the advantage back to 40-30.
• A Bella Tawney (Simsbury, CT) converted a free-throw in the final minute to close out the scoring and give the Brewers the final 12-point advantage.
• Vassar shot just 22.2-percent in the second half and went 2-for-9 from three-point range.
• Skidmore was held to 21.4-percent after halftime, including 0-for-9 from three-point range.

For The Brewers

• Gelb finished the title game with 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Gelb closed a double-double with a game-high 16 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
• McDermed, who along with Gelb played the full 40 minutes, posted 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
• Kurnik contributed seven points and eight rebounds.
• Tawney closed the contest with four rebounds and a trio of blocked shots.

For The Thoroughbreds

• Blanck led Skidmore with nine points and was held to 2-for-9 shooting. Blanck led the team with 12 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
• Maddie Hastings corralled 10 rebounds and swiped three steals.
• Medolla chipped in six points.

Game Statistics

• Vassar shot an even 30-percent from the floor, including a 3-for-12 effort from three-point range.
• Skidmore struggled shooting, converting at 19-percent overall and went without a three-pointer in 16 attempts.
• Vassar finished with a 22-16 advantage in paint points.
• Skidmore held a 15-9 edge in points off of turnovers and an 11-9 advantage in second chance scoring.

What's Next

• Vassar will learn its opponent in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow afternoon at 2:30.

Game Notes: Gelb was named the Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in two Liberty League Championship games…Vassar won its first Liberty League title since 2014…The Brewers will make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2014….The last NCAA Tournament game the Brewers played was against Scranton where Head Coach Meredith Mesaris totaled 11 points and six rebounds for the Royals who posted a 72-71 victory.