ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard College women's basketball team was unable to withstand an early hot start by the Vassar Brewers, as the Brewers won on Friday evening, 63-41 at Stevenson Athletic Center. 

Shirley Dong had 10 points, three assists, two steals, and a rebound. Aislynn Dixon contributed five points, two assists, two blocks, and three rebounds. Ava Gregory tallied five points, an assist, and a rebound. 

Jessica Martin recorded four points and two rebounds. Lexi Miller led the team in rebounds, with nine, adding two assists, two points, and a block. Erin Tobes had 10 points plus seven rebounds, a career-high five steals, a block, and an assist. Morgan Kottka chipped in seven rebounds, five points, and a steal.

In the first quarter, Vassar started out firing from three despite ranking last in the conference in that category heading into the game. An 8-0 start forced Bard to take a timeout, and Martin hit a long two out of the timeout to stop the run. The Brewers outscored the Raptors 15-1 from that point. 

The second frame started the same way, with Vassar hitting a triple. Miller responded with a layup off a feed from Dong at the 8:38 mark. That sparked a 7-0 Bard run that made it 26-10 after Kottka hit a three and Dong scored inside. The remainder of the period favored Vassar, as the margin went from 16 to 26 at the half. The Raptors had the advantage in offensive rebounds 9-4. 

Bard won the third quarter 13-6. Martin started out the scoring with a jumper, and Dong hit a three-pointer a couple of minutes later. Tobes got to the line at the 4:12 mark, and Gregory hit a three on the next possession. Tobes was active in transition, and she converted a fastbreak layup with 3:14 to play. Gregory scored in transition at the 2:19 mark to make it 27-46. The Raptors held Vassar to 2-of-17 shooting in the period.

The Brewers hit a pair of threes in the first 1:46, allowing them to regain their rhythm. Dixon and Tobes were able to score through free throws in the quarter, while Dong hit a late three that was too little too late. Vassar converted on Bard turnovers, leading to an 8-2 edge in points off turnovers in the frame. Overall, the Brewers held the edge in points in the paint, 22-12, while Bard's bench outscored Vassar's 15-11. 

Dong moved up to 9th all-time in career points with 713 points, surpassing Caleigh DeCaprio. She also became 4th all time in career assists with 193, also surpassing DeCaprio. 

Bard hosts Skidmore tomorrow at 1 p.m for its Inclusive Excellence Day.