Poughkeepsie, NY - With 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals, junior Lauren Pluchino (Liverpool, NY) did everything she could to lead the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team to a win, and her effort turned out to be more than enough as the Golden Knights beat Vassar College 60-49 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Knights picked up their second conference victory of the season, improving to 5-15 overall and 2-8 in the Liberty League, while Vassar fell to 7-12 overall and 3-6. Clarkson will be back at home on Tuesday in non-league action.
In the first half, the Brewers were up by nine points, 24-15, with 5:43 remaining, but Clarkson ended the half on a 11-1 run to tie the score up at 26-26 at intermission. The second half was similar in that Vassar moved out to an eight-point advantage with 13 minutes to go, but Clarkson rolled off an 18-1 run in a six-minute span to gain a double-digit advantage. From there, the Knights crusied to the victory, holding off the Brewers with at least an eight-point lead for the remainder of the contest.
Pluchino led all scorers with 21 points and Carey Turner (Clifton Park, NY) added 19 points, including 13 in the second half, to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Emily Haeuser had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks for the Brewers.