SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team outscored Bard College by a 17-5 margin in the fourth quarter to finally put away a pesky Raptors squad by the score of 63-45 in a Liberty League matchup on Friday night at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
The bigs led Union (5-7, 2-4 Liberty League) on the night, with senior Elly Vaughan, sophomore Laura Vinton and freshman Megan Lee all scoring 14 points apiece. Vinton went 4-of-7 from long range and also just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while Vaughan and Lee both dished out four assists while combining for 12 rebounds as well.
 
After conceding the first five points of the game, Union roared back with 20 straight points to take a 20-8 lead into the second. The Dutchwomen hit on 7-of-11 shots (including 4-of-6 from downtown) during the run, led by six points each from Vaughan and Vinton.
 
Bard (5-8, 0-6 Liberty League) hung around in the second quarter, pulling to within five points after a pair of free throws by Christina Kiser made the score 26-21 with 4:41 left. But the home team closed on an 8-2 run to take a 37-25 lead into the locker rooms, with Lee leading the team with 10 points at the break. The Raptors, meanwhile, stayed in the game thanks to a 10-of-11 mark from the charity stripe.
 
The Raptors scored the first seven points of the third quarter to get back within five at 37-32, but another key three from Vinton stemmed the tide with 6:37 left. The teams traded baskets the rest of the stanza, with the Dutchwomen holding a 46-40 lead going into the fourth.
 
After the teams traded two buckets each to start the fourth, Union finally shut the door with an 11-0 run over a span of 4:22, including a three from senior Joana Santos and a conventional three-point play from junior Darby Leid.
 
Union finished the evening shooting 41.7 percent (25 of 60) from the field, taking 16 more shots than the Raptors thanks to forcing 21 turnovers and converting them into 26 points at the other end.  
 
Union will return to action tomorrow, when the Dutchwomen host Vassar College in another Liberty League matchup beginning at 2 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.