POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – First-year Ryley Tate-Padian hit all five shots from the field in leading Union College with 14 points off the bench as the Garnet Chargers knocked off Vassar College by a 54-48 score to earn a fifth straight victory on Friday evening at the Vassar Athletic and Fitness Center.
 
With the win, Union (17-5, 13-2 Liberty League) matched a program record for conference victories in a season and also clinches a top-two seed in the upcoming Liberty League Tournament. The Garnet Chargers remain tied atop the conference with Rochester Institute of Technology with three games remaining in the regular season.
 
Tate-Padian had a perfect shooting day to lead the Garnet Chargers, going 3-for-3 from inside the arc, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe in 21 minutes of work. Senior Kate Peek also reached double figures with 12 points, while sophomore Olivia Cunningham chipped in eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Both teams hit five field goals in an evenly played first frame. Neither team led by more than one possession in the opening frame, with Peek (six points) and classmate Grace Ardito (four points) accounting for almost all of the visitors' scoring.
 
Tate-Padian led the way for Union with seven points in the second stanza, as Union outscored Vassar 13-10 to take a slim one-possession lead into the half. A 7-0 run gave Union its largest lead of the half at 25-20 after a pair of layups by junior Morgan Schultz and a three by Tate-Padian with 1:46 left. Union shot 41.7 percent (5 of 12) in the second stanza to help overcome eight turnovers over the 10-minute span.
 
The Garnet Chargers scored the first 11 points of the third period to take the first double-digit lead of the evening at 36-22 following three Peek freebies with 7:31 on the clock. The Brewers scored eight of the next 10 points to get within eight (38-30) with 3:48 remaining, and the teams traded baskets the rest of the way to put the visitors up 42-35 after 30 minutes.
 
Union again came out strong in the fourth period, hitting four of its first five shots to take a 51-39 lead at the under-five media timeout. Tate-Padian's jumper with 5:32 left turned out to be Union's last field goal of the game, as the visitors missed their final eight shots from the field, but three free throws turned out to be enough as the Brewers shot just 3-for-8 over the final five-plus minutes.
 
Both teams finished the game under 38 percent shooting from the field, with Union hitting at 37.3 percent (20 of 53) and Vassar connecting at a 17-of-55 (30.9 percent) rate.
 
Union will return to the court tomorrow with a 2 p.m. matchup at Bard College.