Box Score
Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Eleven different players posted points as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team overcame a slow start to roll to an 83-56 win over Vassar College in Liberty League action on Tuesday. With victory, the Red Hawks extend their winning streak to four games, and are now 17-5 and 9-3 in conference play. The loss drops the Brewers record to 3-20 and 0-12 in the Liberty League.

After a slow start by both teams, Vassar jumped out to a 7-2 lead on a three and two buckets by rookie Brittany Parks (Escondido, CA/Escondido), who led all first half scorers with 14 points.

Back-to-back trips to the free throw line helped edge the Red Hawks back into things as they grabbed their first lead of the contest on a bucket by freshman Laura Easterling (Ventura, CA/Ventura). RPI secured the lead for the remainder of the half at the 10:17 mark as senior Elizabeth Barker (Suffield, CT/Cathedral) drained a pair of free throws to make it 13-11.

Holding a five-point advantage with 7:06 remaining, Rensselaer went on a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to extend its lead to 32-15.

Brewers sophomore Sarah Warner (Ipswich, MA/The Waring School) dropped in five straight points with under a minute remaining and Parks sank a pair of free throws, but Vassar could not cut the deficit further before halftime.

The second half saw Rensselaer extend its lead to 41-29 just a minute and a half in. Consecutive jumpers by Vassar's Parks and Warner helped cut the lead to 41-33, but the homestanding Red Hawks continued to surge. RPI went on an 18-0 run over the next five minutes for a commanding 59-33 lead with 11:00 left on the clock.

Despite 11 points from rookie Kristen Tempora (Marlboro, NJ/St. John Vianney) over the final eight minutes, the Brewers were unable to contain RPI's offense, which shot 48.6% from the field in the second half and 42.9% for the game.

Leading the offensive front for the Red Hawks was senior Whitney Coleman (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda), who inched closer to 1,000 career points with 27 in tonight's contest. She now needs just seven points to reach the milestone. Senior Caitlyn Charest (Swansea, MA/LaSalle Academy) added 14 points, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc, while six other players added four or more points.

For Vassar, Parks posted 18 points, including 5 of 5 from the free throw line, while Tempora added 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Also contributing was junior Emily Haeuser (South Portland, ME/South Portland), who had 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

RPI, which clinched a spot in the upcoming Liberty League Playoffs (Feb. 27-28), returns to the court this weekend when it travels to Clarkson and St. Lawrence for the final games of the regular season on Friday (6pm) and Saturday (4pm), respectively. Vassar is also in action on Friday and Saturday, at St. Lawrence and then Clarkson.