Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 20, 2009) – The Vassar men's basketball team threatened to waltz into Saturday's championship game of the annual Invitational Tournament on Friday evening at the Athletics & Fitness Center, but visiting Newbury College had designs on a difference dance card. After building a 21-point halftime lead, the Brewers needed to fend off the Nighthawks, who managed to cut the Brewers lead to two points late in the second half, for a 77-62 victory. 

Vassar (2-0) will face No. 5 nationally ranked Richard Stockton (1-1), an 88-86 winner over Western Connecticut, in the championship game at 3:00 p.m. Newbury (1-1) plays Western Connecticut (1-1) at 1:00 p.m. 

The new-look Brewers, with their pressing defense and uptempo offense, had the contest firmly in command after building a healthy 42-21 lead with 3:44 to play in the first half. It was keyed by a 13-2 run over a four minute stretch that took the Vassar lead from 29-19 to 42-21 following consecutive 3-pointers from sophomore guard Nick Justiz, a layup by senior guard Casey Black and back-to-back baskets (including a 3-pointer) from freshman guard Jon Herzog. 

With Vassar giving its regulars a breather in the final three minutes, Newbury made a gallant comeback, scoring the last eight points of the half, six of those coming from freshman guard Timothy Young, that closed the Vassar lead to 42-29 at half. 

The Brewers got out in transition early in the second half and took a 54-37 lead with 13:47 to play following a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Caleb McGraw. A bucket from junior guard Marvin Smith put the Brewers seemingly ahead for good, 58-40, with 12:37 to play, but the Nighthawks began a methodical process of chipping away at the Vassar lead and went on a 20-4 burst that brought them within 62-60 with 4:54 to play following a layup by Jason Marshall, who had eight of Newbury's 20 points in the run. 

The Brewers calmly regrouped thanks to the play of McGraw and freshman forward John Donnelly. After McGraw sank two free throws for a 64-60 Vassar lead, Donnelly tallied Vassar's next seven points, the final tallies coming on a baseline 3-pointer that pushed the lead up to nine points and effectively took the steam out of the Nighthawks. Thirteen of Donnelly's 18 points came in the second half. 

Newbury fought its way back into the game with 34 points in the paint, 22 of those in the second half. Had the Nighthawks been more effective from the free throw line (10-27, 37 percent), the outcome may have been reversed. 

After being outrebounded by Endicott in its opener, the Brewers held a 46-41 rebounding advantage with junior center Chris Whitney earning a career-high 12 rebounds, eight on the defensive end. Donnelly had nine boards for Vassar. 

McGraw and Donnelly each had 18 points for Vassar, with Justiz chipping in a career-high 13 points. 

Newbury got a game-high 19 points from John Rowley Jr. and 16 from Marshall. Rondell Best and Marshall each had nine rebounds.