SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's basketball team gears up for another Liberty League Tournament run this week, as the defending league champions, seeded sixth, visits third-seeded Vassar in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
 
In the second quarterfinal game, No. 4 William Smith will host No. 5 Union, also on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The quarterfinal winners will head to the Liberty League Semifinal, hosted by top-seeded Ithaca on Saturday. Ithaca will take on the William Smith/Union winner at noon, while the Skidmore/Vassar winner will face second-seeded RIT at 2:30 p.m. The semifinal winners will have a chance to play for the Liberty League Championship on Sunday at noon.
 
This is the second time that Skidmore (9-16, 8-10 Liberty League) will face Vassar (20-5, 14-4) in the postseason. In their first matchup last season, Skidmore defeated Vassar 60-45 at home in the Liberty League Semifinal. The Brewers defeated the Thoroughbreds twice in the regular season that season, just like this one. Skidmore (two) and Vassar (three) have combined to win five of the last eight Liberty League titles.
 
Skidmore finished the regular season with two statement wins, defeating Clarkson by a 61-43 score last Friday, then edged St. Lawrence by a 52-48 score at the Big Green Scream on Saturday. The Thoroughbreds are 4-2 in their last six games.
 
Leading the Thoroughbreds this season is junior guard Jessica Centore, averaging 8.8 points per game. She also leads the team with 2.4 assists per game and is fourth in the league with 2.3 steals per game. Senior Taylor Ong is next with 8.0 ppg., and leads the team on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Haley English (7.5 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 2.2 apg.), rookie guard Kate McCarney (7.1 ppg.), and sophomore guard Sydney Tsutsui (6.7 ppg.) round out the top scorers. McCarney averaged 13.5 ppg. last weekend and has scored in double figures in five of her last seven games. Tsutsui averaged 13.5 ppg. in the two regular season matchups against Vassar, tallying a career-high 19 points against the Brewers on Dec. 12.
 
Vassar went on an incredible 16-game win streak midseason, but has lost three of the last four games to end the regular season, claiming the third seed in the tournament. The Brewers are the Liberty League's most efficient offense, tops in the Liberty League in field goal percentage (43.0 percent), 3-point shooting percentage (33.4 percent), and free throw percentage (72.9 percent). The Brewers are third in the league in scoring, averaging 68.5 points per game.
 
Vassar is led by the scoring trio of Sophie Nick (15.4 ppg.) Jackie Cenan (14.4 ppg.) and Isa Peczuh (12.5 ppg.). All three are capable shooters, knocking down at least 38 percent from the field, 30 percent from beyond the arc, and 70 percent from the charity stripe. Peczuh is the league's top 3-point shooter at 37.8 percent, while Nick is one of the league leaders in rebounds at 9.6 rpg. Maddie Leong leads the team with 2.5 apg.