Westcott Tallies 18 in Clarkson Win Over Skidmore

January 27, 2007

Potsdam, NY – Senior guard Vanessa Westcott (Parish, NY) scored a season-high 18 points in 40 minutes, shooting 8-for-9 from the free throw line, as the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball team posted a 66-50 Liberty League victory Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights improved to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in the conference while Skidmore dropped its seventh straight game in conference to move to 8-10 overall and 0-7 in the Liberty League. Clarkson returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to St. Lawrence.

The first four minutes saw the two teams combine to force 11 turnovers as neither team was able to put together much in its offensive set. With Skidmore ahead 9-7 through the first 10 minutes, Clarkson finally put together a 9-0 run over the course of two minutes to take a 18-9 lead with just under eight minutes to play. Skidmore responded with its own 9-0 run in the next two minutes to tie the game, and later took the lead. For the remainder of the half, the two teams traded points, with Skidmore finishing out the half up by a single point, 24-23. Krystal Coke was a force inside for the Thoroughbreds, scoring 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Vanessa Westcott led the Knights with six points, scoring twice on long-range jumpers. Rachel Whitermore (Holliston, MA) also shined on the defensive end for the Knights, making four steals in only nine minutes of action.

In the second half, the Knights and Thoroughbreds battled back and forth, with neither team able to gain more than four-point advantage. After a 3-pointer from Laurel Brown gave Skidmore a 36-35 lead with 11:38 remaining, the Thoroughbreds went scoreless for the next 6:15 as Clarkson built a double-digit lead with a 12-0 run. The main reason for the turn around for the Knights was their advantage on the glass, as Clarkson began the half with a 21-7 edge in rebounds, many coming on the offensive end to provide second-chance opportunities. Though the return of Krystal Coke, who needed to sit down because of foul trouble, provided a small spark for the Thoroughbreds, the Golden Knights held on to their sizable lead thanks to solid shooting from the free throw line.

Along with Westcott’s team-high of 18, Mickala Henson (Waverly, NY) added in 13 points and 3 blocks for Clarkson. The team controlled the boards in the second half, out rebounding Skidmore 28-12 over the final 20 minutes.

Coke recorded a game-high 21 points to go along with 8 rebounds to lead Skidmore, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, but just 5-for-11 from the line. Sharlyn Harper also added 13 points and 4 assists for Skidmore.

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