A statement made in Poughkeepsie
In what many had expected to be the Game of the Day, Tuesday night's meeting between Vassar and No. 22 SUNY New Paltz turned out one-sided in a 77-52 Vassar win
What adjective best describes what unfolded in Poughkeepsie last night? Dominant? Vassar was certainly that, racing out to a 20-6 lead and a 45-16 halftime advantage. Impressive? I’ll say. No. 22 SUNY New Paltz, even coming off a loss to Saint Joseph’s (L.I.) and without Preseason All-American Brianna Fitzgerald, had the makings of being a formidable test, yet the Brewers largely had their way in a game in a game that was decided two quarters in. Impeccable? Vassar’s performance on both ends of the floor certainly felt that way, especially in the first half, on a night in which they drove to the rim early and often, and shot 50.8%. They didn’t make many mistakes, and the scoreboard more than made that clear.
To be honest, I think even a New Paltz team with Fitzgerald on the floor would’ve struggled with the level at which Vassar was playing. And in my opinion, that says more about Vassar, though, at the same time, I’m concerned about New Paltz. It remains to be seen which direction their season will go from here.
But there is no question that the Brewers are pushing towards a higher ceiling in this current season, aiming to surpass even the success of their 25-3 season a year ago. Last night alone, both Sierra McDermed and Tova Gelb put up double-doubles, with McDermed scoring 27 along with 11 boards (5 on the offensive end) and Gelb tallying 15 points and 12 boards. Gelb reached double figures in both categories by halftime, while McDermed had 18 points in the first two quarters. And for good measure, Julia Harvey, who had 14 points, became the 14th player to score 1,000 points in a Vassar uniform. And it wasn’t just offensively. Defensively, the Brewers came up with 12 steals, controlling the game on that end of the floor early on.
» Even as New Paltz started to look a little more like the team we expected to see in the second half, shooting 7-of-14 from 3-point range, Vassar’s lead never dipped below 21 over the final two quarters. The Brewers shot 51.7% in the second half.
» Vassar is 3-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign. Interestingly, in that season, which ended up with a 23-6 record, the Brewers’ third win also came over New Paltz, 60-53.
» The Brewers won the battle on the boards, 46-32, with much of that advantage established in the first half. It marks Vassar’s third straight game with a rebounding margin of 10+.
» Next up for Vassar: vs Trinity (CT), Nov. 19.
» Next up for New Paltz: at Ithaca, Nov. 23
PSU-Behrend defeats St. John Fisher, 84-60
The Lion offense couldn’t be tamed in a game in which Behrend led wire to wire
» Behrend claimed the momentum early and never even glanced back, as the Lions found their rhythm from beyond the arc, with a trio of 3-pointers on their first three possessions, which contributed to an 11-2 lead by the 5:00 mark of Quarter 1.
» They led 39-24 at the half, and really set the tone in the third, opening that quarter in similar to fashion to the way they did the first. Behrend put up 21 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field. While SJF had 21 of its own in the quarter, the Lions sealed the win in a fourth quarter in which they put up 24 and held the Cardinals to 15.
» The offensive consistency was at an impressive level for Behrend, who had not one, but two 20-point scorers. Alaina Fabin shot 10-of-11 from the field (talk about efficient shooting!) and Rachel Majewski was 7-of-17, shooting 50% from 3 (3-of-6).
» And when it came to finishing possessions on the offensive end, Behrend did that at a high level too, with 21 offensive rebounds generating 27 second-chance points for the Lions. SJF had 15 offensive boards, but just nine points on second-chance opportunities.
» This is a massive win for the defending AMCC champions over a team that took down two very quality opponents in Susquehanna (Top 4 pick in Landmark) and Chatham (RV in D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25) this past weekend. Behrend, who split its opening weekend with a win over Case Western Reserve and a loss to Carnegie Mellon, gets Chatham next, playing at home on Saturday.
On the Rise
(Teams not mentioned above that improved their resume to some degree with yesterday’s result)
New England College seems to be on the rise after an upset of Keene State last night, 56-50. In a low-scoring duel, NEC held off Keene State’s 22-point fourth quarter comeback, and rose from #331 in Massey to #292.
Also on an upward track is Kean, who jumped into Massey’s Top 100 after beating Stevens, 68-67, last night. It marked Kean’s first win over Stevens since 2013.
Oglethorpe is a program to be watching out of the Southeast, as the Stormy Petrels are 2-0, having secured an 84-77 win over Piedmont last night. Oglethorpe rose 79 spots in Massey Ratings, to #148, after the win.
Messiah was the favorite heading into yesterday’s season opener at DeSales, but it’s still very much a quality win for the Falcons. The 61-46 win saw Messiah outscore the Bulldogs in all four quarters, with the Falcons winning in Center Valley for the first time in the last four meetings there.
Today’s Games to Watch (All times are ET)
New Jersey City (0-1) at Albertus Magnus (0-0), 5:30 p.m. — This one will be interesting. I like what I’ve seen from NJCU so far, who led Johns Hopkins at the half on Saturday, but Albertus Magnus is going to be another pretty significant test on the road.
Washington & Jefferson (2-0) at Carnegie Mellon (2-0), 5:30 p.m. — Both are 2-0, with W&J notably having defeated No. 19 Baldwin Wallace. CMU is definitely the underdog here. But new head coach Kathy McConnell-Miller has her squad clicking right out of the gate, and at home, I think the Tartans have a chance.
Arcadia (1-1) at Gwynedd Mercy (1-1), 6:00 p.m. — After what we saw from Gwynedd Mercy this past weekend, beating Muhlenberg and nearly knocking off DeSales, Arcadia needs to be careful. This is also a chance for a bounce back for Arcadia after Sunday’s 92-56 loss to Smith.
Western New England (1-0) at No. 20 Rhode Island College (0-0), 7:30 p.m. — WNE opened the season with a big win at Springfield, and now hits the road again to face a Top 25 opponent. RIC is in its season opener and I’m interested to see how the Anchorwomen handle this first game, especially with just two starters back from last year.