TROY, N.Y. - Senior captain Amanda Lynch scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team to a 58-48 victory over Vassar College, this evening at East Campus Arena. With the win, the Engineers improve to 11-8 overall (7-3 Liberty League), while the Brewers drop to 8-11 (3-7 Liberty League).

RPI jumped out to a 7-2 lead, thanks to five early points from junior Lauren Young (Kirkwood, MO/St. Joseph Academy). The Engineers held Vassar to just 15.0% on its first 20 shots and built a 12-4 advantage by the 7:37 mark of the opening half.

Vassar fought back with a 10-1 run to take a 13-12 lead, with 6:20 to go in the first. Freshman Ariella Rosenthal (Mill Valley, CA/Redwood) had a basket and a pair of assists during the stretch.

The Engineers regained their advantage at 15-14 on a putback by freshman Shaina Iton (Peekskill, NY/Peekskill). Junior Ashley Clough (West Chestefield, NH/Keene) extened the lead to 17-14 with a pair of free throws.

A late run by the Brewers brought the game to a stalemate, 18-18, at halftime.

Lynch (Middletown, NY/John S. Burke) took over in the second half, scoring 18 of her 21 points in the final 20 minutes. She hit two free throws and a jumper on a mini 6-0 run, giving the hosts a 34-29 lead with 13:17 left in the second half.

RPI pushed its advantage to 38-31 at the midway point of the second stanza following a basket and two more from the line by Lynch.

The lead grew to as large as 12 points on two occasions, including 50-38 with 2:04 remaining. Vassar then used a quick 6-0 run to cut the deficit in half. Junior Caitlin Drakeley (Woodbury, CT/Nonnewaug) capped the run with a driving lay-up.

The Engineers were able to hit their free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Lynch had seven rebounds and shot 7 of 16 from the floor. Clough chipped in with 15 points, while Iton had 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Vassar was led by 16 from Drakeley and 10 from Rosenthal.

Rensselaer is back in action this weekend, when it travels to RIT and William Smith on Friday (6pm) and Saturday (2pm), respectively. The Brewers visit North Country foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence on Friday (6pm) and Saturday (2pm).