Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 18, 2008) -- Looking to pick up its first win over Hamilton since the 2001-02 season, the Vassar men's basketball team pulled out a 77-72 overtime victory in Liberty League action at the Athletics & Fitness Center on Friday night. The last time the Brewers defeated the Continentals was in a 67-56 victory on January 12, 2002 and it is just the second time Vassar has defeated Hamilton in the last sixteen meetings between these two squads.

With its eighth consecutive win, Vassar improves to 9-1 and picks up its first league victory. The Brewers host Hobart tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Hamilton falls to 7-4, 1-1 in the league and travels to RPI on Saturday.

Heading into overtime knotted at 64, the Brewers struck first on a Lawrence Avitabile (Southington, CT/Southington) lay-up. However, with the Continentals responding to every Brewer basket, the game remained tied at 70 with 1:17 to play. With under a minute to play Brewer senior Kyle Magnus (South Burlington, Vt/Rice Memorial) found Avitabile cutting baseline and the senior forward converted what would be the game-winning layup.

Hamilton miscommunication on the ensuing possession led to a turnover and with the Continentals forced to foul for the remainder of the game, senior Tyson Brazell (Salt Lake City, UT/ Waterford School) hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to help the Brewers ice the win.

The Brewers opened up the game with a 9-2 lead and held the lead for the majority of the game, yet the Continentals never trailed by more than seven points in the second half. Senior Harlee Wood (Clinton, Md./Bishop McNamara) gave the Continentals their first lead of the game with 3:32 to play, as the 6'4 forward took the ball coast-to-coast. The teams traded leads for the remainder of the game, never separated by more than two points. Tied at 62 with just over two minutes to play, neither team was able to score until Wood sliced through the lane to give the Continentals a two-point lead with a minute to play. Avitabile answered with a lay-up on the other end, tying the game up for the fifth time. Neither team was able to score in the final 47 seconds, sending the squads into overtime.

After jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes and a 16-6 lead after six minutes, the Brewers managed to hold an advantage for the entire first half. A jumper by Andy McKenzie (Mill Valley, CA/University) with two minutes to play in the half gave the Brewers their largest lead at 35-24. However, it was the Continentals who closed out the half with momentum, setting the tone for the tightly-fought second half. Following McKenzie's jumper, Hamilton scored eight unanswered points to go into the locker room down just three, 35-32, thanks to a leaning buzzer-beating three-pointer by Ramunas Rozgys (Naujoji Akmene, Lithuania/St. Anne's-Belfield School, VA).

Brazell and Brian Butterworth (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) poured in eighteen points apiece for the Brewers. Avitabile notched his sixth double-double of the season and the 32nd of his career with a 12-point and 13-rebound performance. Magnus chipped in with nine points.

The Continentals were led by 18 points from sophomore Joe Manns (Fieldale, VA/Carlisle School), while Wood chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds. Dayne Harris (Little River, SC/North Myrtle Beach) added nine points and Rozgys contributed seven points and eight rebounds.