Box Score

SCHENECTADY, NY (January 30, 2009) -- The Vassar men's basketball team nearly allowed a prosperous 19 point first half lead turn into a second half of despair, but thanks to the shooting heroics of freshman guard Caleb McGraw (Sitka, AK/Mount Edgecombe) and a career-high 22 points from senior forward Joe Davis (East Amherst, NY/St. Joseph's Institute), the Brewers outlasted Union, 87-80 in overtime, Friday evening in a critical Liberty League game at the Viniar Athletic Center.

The victory improves Vassar to 7-10, 2-4 in the Liberty League, one game out of a three-way tie for fourth place. It sets up a key game on the road against Skidmore on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. On Friday evening, Skidmore upset Rensselaer 63-62. Union drops to 10-6, 3-3 in the league and hosts RPI on Saturday.

Davis, whose previous career high of 20 points came against Southern Vermont in December 2007, scored six of his 22 points in overtime, getting Vassar's first points of the extra period, then connecting on a key tip-in with 1:58 to play and following with a jumper with just over a minute remaining to give Vassar an 81-76 lead.

It was McGraw's 26 points, however, which set a new career high that eclipsed his 25 points against Haverford, that kept the Brewers from squandering its huge 41-22 first half lead. Perhaps the biggest jumper of McGraw's young career came with 51 seconds to play and Vassar trailing 70-69 following a 3-pointer by Union's junior guard Joey Lokitis (Norton, MA/Phillips Academy), a huge basket that gave the Dutchmen their first lead of the game.

On the ensuing possession McGraw deftly nailed his own 3-pointer for a 72-70 Vassar lead. Union was able to force overtime when sophomore forward Matt Covucci (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) connected on a driving layup with 32 seconds remaining.

The overtime, Vassar's first of the season, was the Davis-McGraw show, with the duo combining for 10 of 15 points. Five free throws, two each by senior guards Lenny Holt (Watertown, MA/Watertown) and Brian Butterworth (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) and one by senior forward Matt Nunn (Lower Gynwedd, PA/Abington Friends) accounted for the seven point margin of victory.

McGraw led the attack with 26 points, followed by 22 from Davis, 14 courtesy of Butterworth and 13 from Holt. Union got 24 points from Drew Desmarais (St. James, NY/Smithtown), 20 from Lokitis and 18 from Covucci. Holt and Nunn each had five rebounds for the Brewers.

Leading 48-38 at halftime after an explosive first half in which McGraw (14 points), Davis (11) and Holt (10) combined for 35 points, Union began to peel away at the Vassar lead, twice bringing it within three points and then a single point, 64-63 following a tip-in by senior forward Desmarais. Twice during Union's second half run to draw close, Holt answered with layup baskets, but a key bucket was delivered by Butterworth who nailed a 3-pointer when Desmarais brought Union within one point.

The Brewers opened the game firing, taking a 5-3 lead and methodically building it into a double figures margin at 20-9 following a three-pointer by McGraw just 4:30 into the game. With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, the Vassar lead ballooned to 30-13 after Butterworth connected on his third 3-pointer of the first half. With Davis scoring four consecutive points, Vassar upped the margin to 41-22 with 4:29 remaining before Union whittled it down to 48-38 thanks to the efforts of Lokitits.

In playing perhaps its most complete game of the season since defeating Drew, 71-58, on November 18, the Brewers committed only eight turnovers, one off a season low seven against Hobart. Vassar had a season-high 17 assists on its 30 field goals.