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Women's Basketball February 8, 2017

CU Women's Basketball Preview - vs. Bard/Vassar (2/10-11)

Virtually nothing has been decided in the Liberty League playoff picture, but the Clarkson University Women's Basketball team is hoping that changes this weekend when the Golden Knights take on Bard and Vassar at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights will not only be celebrating Senior Day for three players, but the program will also have numerous alumni back for its annual game on Saturday. Clarkson is 12-9 overall and 7-5 in the Liberty League, sitting in a three-way tie for third with a fourth team just percentage points behind. With a sweep and a little help, Clarkson could vastly improve its standing in the playoff picture.

The Golden Knights split the first time against Vassar and Bard, suffering a three-point loss against the Brewers before gaining a 59-point victory against Bard. The 19 points allowed against the Raptors were the fewest that Clarkson has ever allowed to a four-year program.

Clarkson's success has come from its ability to force turnovers and limit its own mistakes. Clarkson ranks 14th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, and its turnover margin of +5.86 is 26th in the country. Clarkson has picked up its scoring rate since the conference season started, thanks in large part to junior guard Devin Sorell. Averaging 15.7 points per game overall, Sorell's average increases to 19.1 ppg in conference match ups, which is second in the league. She has also buried 31 of her league-best 46 3-pointers during conference play. Classmate Madison Shea is also chipping in 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game while senior Stephanie Grobe matches Shea's figures in the former two numbers with 10.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Senior Alyssia Marsal has also excelled since returning from an injury midway through the campaign, and she now qualifies for the conference leader board as well. Her 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game each rank fifth in the league, while her 2.6 steals per contest are just ahead of Madison Shea and Skidmore's Kelly Donnelly for the top spot in the conference.

The Raptors have a short bench and a low field goal percentage, though the team has shown improvements over its 0-21 campaign. In the early going of the season Bard was dropping games by considerable amounts, but in the last two league games the Raptors have fallen by an average of 23.5 ppg. Still the team is losing by a margin of 44.9 in 12 conference games, and that number has improved by 4.3 points since last weekend. Annie Kissel leads the team in scoring at 10.3 points per contest, ranking 15th in the league. Meghan Phelan averages 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds and Alexis Akingbade produced 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Caleigh DeCaprio also averages 8.4 points per game.

Vassar (10-11, 7-5 Liberty League) leads the conference in free throw percentage at 71.8%, but the key to the Brewers winning ways comes on the glass as the team gathers 6.8 rebounds per game more than its opponents. Freshman Sophie Nick had 16 rebounds in Vassar's win against Clarkson the first time around, and she ranks fourth in the league in that category (8.5 rpg) while also averaging 12.1 points per game with an 89.2% shooting rate from the free throw line. Ariella Rosenthal is the team's top scorer, averaging 15.3 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds per game. Nicole Teta and Isa Peczuh have combined for 58 3-point field goals on the season, but it was Teta who was a key player off the bench for Vassar in the first meeting against Clarkson. The sophomore guard scored 21 points in 27 minutes, including a 4-for-7 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.



 
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Players Mentioned

Stephanie Grobe

#21 Stephanie Grobe

G
5' 10"
Senior
Alyssia Marsal

#22 Alyssia Marsal

F
5' 10"
Senior
Madison Shea

#10 Madison Shea

G
5' 6"
Junior
Devin Sorell

#24 Devin Sorell

G
5' 3"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Stephanie Grobe

#21 Stephanie Grobe

5' 10"
Senior
G
Alyssia Marsal

#22 Alyssia Marsal

5' 10"
Senior
F
Madison Shea

#10 Madison Shea

5' 6"
Junior
G
Devin Sorell

#24 Devin Sorell

5' 3"
Junior
G