Vassar clung onto its lead despite a number of threats from the Thoroughbreds in a wild second half in which neither team scored for the final 3:36. The Brewers were forced to readjust when the team's second-leading scorer, freshman Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland), fouled out with 11:32 to play. Sophomore Kellye Caufield (Monroe, CT/Masuk) made a 3-pointer at the 6:31 mark to make the score 46-44 in favor of Vassar, but that was the closest Skidmore would come to taking the lead.
Junior guard Chelsea Katzenberg (Middlesex, VT/U-32) scored the Brewers' final four points, including two key free throws with 5:35 to play. Katzenberg was instrumental in the win, filling up the stat sheet with a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with 9 points, four steals and four assists.
With the score at 50-44 with 3:36 remaining in the game, Vassar was only able to get off two more shots but was able to secure the win, as Skidmore missed its final 10 shots to end the game.
Vassar looked as though it would pull away from Skidmore in the first half, during which senior center Rachel Cerlen (Florham Park, NJ/Milburn) scored 14 of her game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds. Vassar established its largest lead of the game when Cerlen hit a jumper to put the Brewers up 32-16 with only 1:38 to play in the first half.
Skidmore responded with an unanswered 8-0 run to end the half at 32-24, but Vassar would not relinquish its lead for the remainder of the game.
Haeuser contributed 8 points for Vassar, which takes on Union College at home on Saturday at 2:00 pm. The Brewers move to 6-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Caufield led Skidmore with 12 points, followed by 8 points from both senior Shardae Gonsalves (New Bedrford, MA/New Bedford) and freshman Dana Leonard (Cooperstown, NY/Cooperstown), who also added 7 rebounds. The Thoroughbreds, who fall to 6-5 and 0-2 in league play with the loss, face RPI tomorrow at 2:00 pm.