CMS Women's Basketball Can't Crawl Out of Early Hole in Loss to Vassar

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Vassar women's basketball team went on a 13-0 run to take a 22-7 lead early in the second quarter, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps couldn't fight its way back out of the hole as it dropped a 63-52 decision on Friday on the first day of the David Wells Classic at Pomona-Pitzer's Voelkel Gymnasium.

Vassar moves to 4-1 on the young season with the win, while CMS, which was led by 12 points and eight rebounds from Mary Markaryan, slips to 0-4 heading into tomorrow's home battle with East Texas Baptist. 

The game was back-and-forth early, as Markaryan knocked down a three-pointer to cut an early Vassar lead to 7-5, and Kayla Ishibashi hit a jumper with 6:21 in the first quarter to answer a Vassar basket and make it 9-7. 

However, CMS was held scoreless for a span of eight minutes, as the Brewers took a 20-7 lead after the first and then added the first basket of the second quarter for a 22-7 lead. Grace Florendo ended the drought with a layup with 7:56 left in the second, and CMS was able to get the lead down to single digits by halftime, trailing 33-24 after two Ava Grey foul shots with seven seconds left.

A Florendo jump shot answered a Vassar three-pointer to make it a 36-26 game in the third, but Vassar scored seven straight points and CMS couldn't get closer than 11 the rest of the way. 

Florendo and Ishibashi each had eight points for CMS, while Markaryan had three steals defensively to go with her 12 points and eight rebounds. 

CMS will tip off against East Texas Baptist tomorrow at 6:30 p.m., looking to turn the corner before opening SCIAC play on Wednesday at Cal Lutheran.