Poughkeepsie, NY - Cold shooting by the Falcons and a balanced attack by the talented Vassar Brewers led to an 87-40 loss for Cedar Crest in the opening round of the Vassar Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.

Vassar sophomore guard Cydni Matsuoka demonstrated exactly why she was named the national Rookie of the Year by D3hoops.com last season, dropping 23 points, including four of five from beyond the arc, in just 27 minutes of play. Matsuoka scored eight of the Brewers first 12 points en route to a 12-2 opening score, which became a 24-3 score, and Vassar never looked back. The Falcons had twelve turnovers in the first half and shot just 29%, leading to a 40-17 halftime score.

The second half was more of the same as Vassar extended its lead right up to the 87-40 final. Five Brewers scored in double figures, and two had double figures on the glass. There were some bright spots for Cedar Crest, however. Senior Lizzy Sunderhaus (Hamilton, OH/Stephen T. Badin) continued her dominance, second only to Matsuoka in scoring with 15 points. Freshman DeJanet Lantion (Silver Spring, MD/John F. Kennedy) showed admirable hustle, while scoring 10 points and recording four steals.

With the loss, Cedar Crest drops to 0-2. The Falcons will  next play Wilson College at Vassar, after the Phoenix were defeated by Wellesley in their opening round game. Game time is 1:00 PM.