SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The third period proved to be the difference on Tuesday night, as Vassar College outscored Union College by nine points in the pivotal third frame and held on for a 44-38 victory in Liberty League women's basketball action at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Senior Megan Lee led Union (3-9, 1-5 Liberty League) with her second double-double of the season, scoring a team-leading 11 points and hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior Kennedy Clark added nine points and sophomore Jenna Forman had a solid game off the bench with nine rebounds and two blocks.
 
Alex Lee just missed a double-double for Vassar (7-6, 4-2 Liberty League), netting a game-high 13 points and adding nine rebounds, while Eliza Srinivasan added nine points and seven boards.
 
Both teams struggled to score on the night, with Union shooting 26.7 percent (16 of 60) and Vassar connecting at a 25.5 percent (12 of 47) clip. The difference in the game came from the charity stripe, where Vassar hit 17-of-21 attempts (81.0 percent) while Union hit only 5-of-14 shots (35.7 percent).
 
Union went into halftime with a slim 20-18 lead, but Vassar outscored the Dutchwomen 16-7 in the third frame to take back the advantage. The visitors hit only one more field goal than the home team (4-3) in the period, but also went 7-for-8 from the line to extend their edge. Union didn't trail for the first seven minutes of the frame, but Vassar ended the period with a 9-0 to take a 34-27 lead into the fourth.
 
The home team held Vassar off the scoreboard for over four minutes to start the final frame, but managed only two free throws to make it a 34-29 deficit. It was a one-possession game with 3:05 left after a Clark jumper made the score 36-33, but a big three by Tash Thompson with 1:11 remaining gave Vassar a 40-34 lead and the Brewers sealed the game from the charity stripe.
 
Union will continue its seven-game homestand on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Rochester Institute of Technology.