Box Score

TROY, NY (January 22, 2008) -- Vassar's men's basketball team came into Tuesday night's game against Rensselaer with a 10-1 record and the ninth best winning percentage (.909) in NCAA III. Improving that mark to 11-1 and a perfect 3-0 in the Liberty League proved difficult, but more than manageable, as the Brewers fought off a scrappy RPI team en route to a 71-57 victory at Robison Gym. RPI drops to 6-8, 1-2 on the season.

Off to its best start in school history, Vassar next heads to Clarkson and St. Lawrence for games this Friday and Saturday, and a chance to improve its top-10 NCAA winning percentage. The team ahead of Vassar in the eighth position, Emerson College, handed the Brewers their lone loss this season, 70-67, in the finals of the VC Invitational on November 17. Since then, Vassar has won ten straight games.

In a tight contest, separated by just one-point at halftime, 31-30, the Brewers were ignited just nine seconds into the second half when senior guard Jon Swartz (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) connected on a 3-point shot, was fouled and converted the free throw for a 34-31 lead. But winning their tenth straight game wouldn't be easy. RPI had an answer for Vassar at every juncture. A jumper by senior forward Kyle Magnus (South Burlington, VT/Rice Memorial) at 19:11 gave the Brewers a working margin of 36-31, but from that point, RPI tied the game twice more, the last coming at 47-47 with 11:54 to play.

The Brewers built a 52-47 lead at the 7:48 mark, setting up an exciting last seven minutes of play. A pair of free throws by senior forward Lawrence Avitabile (Southington, CT/Southington) with 5:55 to play put the Brewers ahead, 56-50. Junior forward Joe Davis (East Amherst, NY/St. Joseph's Institute) put Vassar up 59-50 on a driving layup and made free throw with 5:06 to play. Another set of free throws by Magnus stretched the lead to 61-50 with 3:50 to play. Sophomore guard Casey Black (Littleton, CO/Chatfied) added a big layup with 2:39 to play for a 63-51 Vassar lead. From that point, the Brewers gradually pulled away for the 14 point win, not indicative of how hotly contested the game was played.

The first half, which ended with RPI leading 31-30, was a back-and-forth affair with five ties. The Brewers broke out to an early 8-4 lead and were able to maintain a two-to-four point lead until the 11:15 mark was the Red Hawks knotted the game at 17-17. Two minutes later, the Brewers went ahead by three points (22-19) on a 3-pointer by senior guard Danny Forcella (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth). The game-see-sawed over the next three minutes until the 6:28 mark when the Red Hawks took their first lead, 26-24, on a 3-pointer by senior guard Sam Zullo (Indian Lakes, NY/Broadalbin-Perth). A bucket by Avitabile tied the game 26-26, and the Red Hawks answered with their biggest lead of the first half, 29-26, on a 3-pointer by freshman forward Mike Brion (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin).

The Brewers had their finest free throw shooting effort of the year, converting on 21 of 26 attempts (80.8). Fifteen of 18 (83.3 percent) were made in the second half.

Vassar was led by senior guard Tyson Brazell (Salt Lake City, UT/Waterford School) also had 14 points, six of them coming off free throws. Avitabile, who entered the game shooting 65.1 percent from the field, ninth best in the nation, went a rare 4 of 11 from the field, and tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in the game. Magnus added 10 points, six off free throws and grabbed six rebounds.

RPI got 15 points from senior forward Sam Simmons (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) and 10 each from freshman guard Jeremy Bull (Woodbridge, VA/Stephens & St. Agnes School) and Zullo.