The Brewers are now 6-11 and 1-6 in conference play, and have faced all seven teams in the Liberty League. They return to action next Friday, when Clarkson University comes to town for a 6:00 pm contest. Hamilton�s record improves to 10-5, 4-3. They will play a non-conference game at Middlebury College this Tuesday at 7:00 pm.
Hamilton's junior guard Jessica Barrows (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) started the game with a 3-pointer just six seconds in and her team maintained small leads over the ensuing minutes, until Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland) sank two free throws and made a lay-up to give Vassar its first and only lead of the game, 17-15, at the 12:48 mark. The Continentals regained the lead, assisted by two additional 3-pointers from Barrows, who shot an astonishing 5 for 5 beyond the arc in the game. For the remainder of the half, Hamilton went up by as much as 11 points, but Vassar continued to chip away at the lead, and at the horn the visitors led 34-27.
Hamilton protected its lead in the second half by shooting nearly 60 percent from the field, while Vassar converted just 27 percent of their field goals. However, the Brewers continued to threaten Hamilton's lead. Junior guard Chelsea Katzenberg (Middlesex, VT/U-32) made a pull-up jumper at the 17:13 mark to pull Vassar within 5 points, 36-31, but Hamilton retained a comfortable lead when Pumla Sathula (Soweto, South Africa/St. Anne's-Belfield School, VA) made a 3-pointer to give her team a 12-point lead with 13:20 to play.
Vassar guard Shannon Fuhr (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) responded with a 3-pointer of her own to cut the lead to 8, and Cerlen and Fasulo traded baskets over the next few possessions. Cerlen's jumper with 10:35 to play brought Vassar to within 8 once again, but the Brewers were held scoreless until Fuhr made another 3-pointer with five minutes remaining. During that stretch, the Continentals outscored Vassar 13-0 to lead 63-42.
Vassar reduced the lead to 11 when Ashley Sherman hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 to play to make the score 67-56, but Hamilton made its foul shots down the stretch, shooting 7 for 10 from the charity stripe in the final 1:19, and the clock ran out with the Continentals on top, 74-57.
Vassar held a rebounding edge throughout, pulling down 27 offensive boards compared to Hamilton�s 6, but only managed 13 second-chance points. Despite both fouling out in the second half, Cerlen finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Haeuser scored a team-high 15 points, pulled down 7 boards, and dished out 4 assists. Fuhr scored 10 points in the final twelve minutes of the game and had 3 assists, and Elise Okusami (Olney, MD/Georgetown Day School) recorded 8 points and 6 rebounds for the Brewers.