The homestanding Red Hawks jumped out to a 14-point lead (39-25) late in the first half and they held an eight-point advantage heading into the break. Vassar’s Melissa Jones (Winsted, CT/Gilbert School) led all scorers in the first half tallying 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
In the second half the Brewers came storming back erasing an eight point deficit to tie the game 46-46 at the 17 minute mark. Rensselaer quickly recovered building the lead back up to eight mid-way through the half. Led by Lyons, who shot 8-of-13 in the game, Rensselaer went up as much as 14 points again late in the game. Vassar battled back to cut the lead to five points with less than a minute on the clock but fell short of the comeback.
In addition to her 24 points, Lyons posted five rebounds with two assists and three steals in 26 minutes. Baranowski added 17 points while freshman guard Whitney Coleman chipped in with eight points, five rebounds and three assists in the victory.
The Brewers were led by junior forward Rachel Cerlen (Short Hills, NJ/Milburn) who had a team-high 18 points on and a team-best 11 rebounds (3 offensive). She also added a game-best five blocks and three steals in 25 minutes. Jones finished with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 7 rebounds, including three assists and two steals, while senior forward Meredith McGair (Cranston, RI/St. Mary Academy-Bay View) added 18 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Rensselaer returns to action this weekend when it hosts Liberty League foes Clarkson (Friday) and St. Lawrence (Saturday) at Robison Gym. Game times are 6pm and 2pm, respectively. Vassar is back in action on Friday and Saturday also hosting St. Lawrence (6pm) and Clarkson (2pm).
Vassar vs Rensselaer 01-17-06 6:00 PM at Troy, NY Robison Gym At Troy, NY Robison Gym RENSSELAER 68, VASSAR 64 VASSAR (5-8; 0-3 Liberty) Rachel Cerlen 8-18 3-3 19; Meredith McGair 8-12 2-2 18; Melissa Jones 5-8 3-6 17; Erin Harper 2-6 0-0 4; Lizzie Evans 1-11 0-0 2; Lauren Rucker 1-2 0-0 2; Sarah Ames 1-4 0-0 2; Chelsea Katzenberg 0-2 0-0 0; Alison McSheehy 0-0 0-0 0; Shannon Fuhr 0-0 0-0 0; Acacia O'Connor 0-1 0-0 0; Bridget Meade 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-66 8-11 64. RENSSELAER (8-4; 2-1 Liberty) Tory Lyons 8-13 8-13 24; Kristi Baranowski 8-16 1-1 17; Whitney Coleman 3-10 2-3 8; Destany Eagles 3-3 0-0 6; Caitlyn Charest 1-3 0-1 3; Kerry Hayes 1-1 0-0 2; Elizabeth Barker 1-3 0-0 2; Kristin Danbury 1-3 0-0 2; Rebecca Primm 1-2 0-0 2; Missy Jackman 0-5 2-2 2; Brittney O'Neal 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 27-64 13-20 68. Vassar........................ 33 31 - 64 Rensselaer.................... 42 26 - 68 3-point goals-Vassar 4-15 (Melissa Jones 4-7; Erin Harper 0-1; Lizzie Evans 0-6; Lauren Rucker 0-1), Rensselaer 1-5 (Caitlyn Charest 1-1; Kristin Danbury 0-1; Missy Jackman 0-3). Fouled out--Vassar-None, Rensselaer-None. Rebounds-Vassar 35 (Rachel Cerlen 11), Rensselaer 46 (Kristi Baranowski 14). Assists-Vassar 16 (Erin Harper 8), Rensselaer 10 (Whitney Coleman 3; Missy Jackman 3). Total fouls-Vassar 15, Rensselaer 9.