Box Score Poughkeepsie, NY — In a high scoring game between the State University of New York at New Paltz and hosting Vassar College Tuesday night, the Hawks made a strong third quarter push that they held on to for the rest of the fourth to come away with a 92-81 win on the road.
 
SUNY New Paltz (1-1) was coming off a tough home opening loss against Rochester Institute of Technology Nov. 9, but came out determined against the Brewers (0-1).
 
It took a little bit for the Hawks to figure out Vassar's aggressive offensive style and likewise for the Brewers. The first half consisted of 12 lead changes with SUNY New Paltz taking the slight one-point advantage heading into halftime after Sophie Nick hit a pair of free throws before time expired to shave the score down to 45-44. 
 
"Vassar was running their stuff with great pace and cutting really hard, and that was giving us fits throughout the game," said Hawks coach Jamie Seward. "Our players finally figured out how to slow some of it down late in the game and forced some turnovers as a result. Philesha [Teape] played a really vital role in that, and that was great to see, particularly considering the foul trouble she was playing through."
 
SUNY New Paltz struggled offensively out of the break, which allowed the Brewers to take a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter. But Rachel Simon led a rally for the Hawks, starting with a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 47 seconds remaining in the third. Simon followed up with a jumper inside the arc and a caused turnover by the Hawks led to a Marion Dietz bucket on the opposite end to trim the deficit to two.
 
Although Vassar responded with a basket, SUNY New Paltz ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take the lead. Simon, again, led the charge, picking up an offensive board off a Dietz drive through the lane, getting fouled on the put-back. Simon drilled both attempts to cut the Brewers lead to two.
 
The Hawks then anchored down on the defensive side, playing swarming defense, not allowing Vassar to establish any rhythm and ultimately forced a turnover. They capitalized on the other end, as Simon kicked out a pass to an open Lindsay Bettke on the wing for 3 to give her team back the lead at 66-65.
 
Maeve Sussman tried to answer for the Brewers on the other end, attempting to take back the lead. But, Dietz stepped into the lane and took the charge on Sussman driving in to force the turnover, which in turn gave the Hawks a point-advantage heading into the fourth.

Vassar got within two twice down the stretch in the fourth, but SUNY New Paltz's defense stepped up and made plays to halt any type of Brewer rally.
 
"Obviously, we'll need to figure some of those things out sooner and improve on the defensive side of the floor. That being said, we have the potential to be pretty good on that side if we stay focused and committed," Seward added. "We just need to be earlier with our help and with our communication so that we aren't chasing and scrambling."

With 4:30 left in the game, Nick connected on a basket in the paint to get Vassar within two. An offensive foul gave the Brewers the ball back on the ensuing possession, but Bettke created a steal on the defensive end and found Taylor Howell, who was fouled outside the arc, giving her three attempts at the line. Howell connected on all three, pushing the lead back to five and ultimately breaking the game open. Bettke put the final dagger with a 3-pointer with 2:27 left to push the cushion to 10.
 
The Hawks iced the game from there, forcing the Brewers into tough shots and in turn, hitting their foul shots to keep the advantage and earn the win.
 
SUNY New Paltz put five players in double digit points led by Simon (28), followed by Bettke (17), Dietz (15), Howell (15) and Paige Niemeyer (12). Niemeyer added seven rebounds, while Bettke added six.
 
"Offensively we know we have quite a few kids that can score and Marion was able to score in and around the paint, which really makes our attack so much more dynamic," Seward said. "For that matter, Rachel, Lindsay and Taylor also were much more aggressive attacking the basket as well."
 
As a team, the Hawks shot 50 percent from the floor and a solid 47.8 from 3-point range, knocking down 11-of-23 from distance, while capitalizing with 25 points off turnovers.
 
"Overall, a good win against an aggressive and very well coached Vassar team, but we will need to get a whole lot better on defense," Seward said. "However, I feel really good that we have the ability to do that, so now it's just a matter of getting after it at practice, starting tomorrow."
 
SUNY New Paltz has nearly two weeks to prepare for its next contest, as it heads to Washington D.C. to take on Catholic University Nov. 25 at 2 p.m.

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