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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College defense limited the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to sub-20 percent shooting while forcing 25 turnovers as the Dutchwomen finished off 2019 with a 62-28 win in non-conference women's basketball action at the Viniar Athletic Center on Tuesday evening.
 
Union (3-4) excelled defensively on the night, allowing MCLA (2-7) to shoot just 10-of-52 (19.2 percent) from the floor) and 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) from beyond the arc. The Dutchwomen also turned the 25 turnovers into 20 points at the other end and held a huge 56-32 edge on the glass as well.
 
Eleven different players got on the scoresheet for the home team, led by a game-high 10 points each from sophomore Laura Vinton and freshman Kendall Degenhardt. Sophomore Amber Raisner also filled up the stat sheet with seven points, a game-high 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, while junior IreLee Ferguson chipped in eight points as well.
 
The Dutchwomen came out strong in the first quarter, using an 11-3 run after MCLA opened the scoring to take control early. Six different players recorded a point during the run, led by Vinton with three points coming on a traditional three-point play.
 
The second quarter was not on offensive showcase for either side, with the teams combining to shoot 5-for-37 from the field. The home team still headed into the half with a 27-17 lead, however, thanks in part to causing 13 MCLA miscues and converting them into an 11-0 edge in points off turnovers.
 
The offense returned for Union in the second half, outscoring MCLA 35-11 to close out the contest. The Dutchwomen held the Trailblazers without a field goal in the third quarter, as both Vinton and classmate Anna Metcalf came a bucket away from outscoring the visitors singlehandedly. Raisner then scored six of Union's first eight points of the fourth quarter as the team closed with a 21-6 fourth frame.
 
Union did not have a great shooting night, hitting at a 33.9 percent (21 of 62) clip, but the Dutchwoman bench outscored their counterparts by a 35-9 margin and held a decisive 34-10 edge scoring in the paint.
 
Union will go more than three weeks before its next game, when the Dutchwomen kick off 2020 with a non-conference matchup at Utica College on January 3.