Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 8, 2010) – Despite playing its first game in 19 days and only its third in 29 days, the Vassar men's basketball team showed little signs of rust in building a pair of 13-point second half leads against Ramapo College on Friday night at the Athletics & Fitness Center. But a relentless opponent that tallied 50 of its points in the paint and held a commanding 54-34 rebounding edge, was too difficult for the Brewers to overcome, falling to the Roadrunners 86-78. 

Vassar drops to 2-8 on the season and will look to snap its eight game losing streak when Liberty League play begins next Friday night at Clarkson University at 8:00 p.m. Ramapo improves to 10-3 and hosts Rutgers-Camden on January 11 at 7:30 p.m. 

The Brewers, who last played on December 19 against Division I College of William and Mary, executed one of their finest games of the season with a roster depleted of several key players due to injury. To prove its resolve, Vassar stormed back from an early 18-11 first half deficit to score 14 unanswered points and take a 25-18 lead on one of the powerhouse teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). After the athletically gifted Roadrunners answered with a 9-0 spurt for a 29-28 lead, the Brewers held their composure, regrouped and closed out the first half on a 9-3 tear for a 38-32 halftime lead, due in large part to 18 first half points from sophomore Caleb McGraw. 

That momentum carried into an exceptionally played first six minutes of the second half where Vassar built its first 13-point margin, 53-40, on the strength of torrid 3-point shooting from McGraw and junior Tyler Maland. Vassar posted its second 13-point bulge, 55-42, with 13:14 to play following a jumper from freshman John Donnelly. 

With an all-out assault on the offensive glass, Ramapo literally rebounded its way back into the game and muscled its way back into the contest. The Roadrunners collected 21 offensive rebounds in the game, nine coming in the second half and had 33 defensive boards, 17 in the second half when seemingly any loose rebound ended up in the grasp of a Ramapo player. Ramapo connected on 24 points in the paint, but most importantly got eight of those when it made the game-changing comeback.

With a deep bench that scored 30 second half points, Ramapo, nicked away at the Vassar margin and took its first lead since 29-28 (in the first half), when sophomore guard Garrett Thiel connected on a 3-pointer from the right elbow with 6:56 to play to push the visitors ahead 67-66. 

Over the next two minutes the teams traded baskets, with Vassar able to tie the contest at 69-69 and for the last time at 71-71 following a layup by junior center Chris Whitney. But over the final five minutes, the Brewers couldn't sink a go-ahead bucket and down 73-71 had three chances to knot the contest but failed on each. A 3-pointer by McGraw with 1:31 remaining brought the Brewers within three points at 79-76, but Vassar got no closer in a game that was ultimately decided by Ramapo scoring four of its final seven points from the free throw line, converting on 19 of 23 attempts (83 percent) in the second half.

McGraw led the Brewers with 28 points and was aided by a 10 point outing by Whintey. Freshman John Donnelly had nine rebounds for Vassar. Sophomore guard Nick Justiz dished out a career-high nine assists.

Ramapo placed four players in double figures, led by a brilliant 22 point performance on 6-of-9 shooting from Theil, 14 points from sophomore center LaQuan Peterkin, 13 points from senior forward Isaiah and 10 tallies from freshman guard Travis Conyers. Peterkin had 12 rebounds, Plunkett grabbed 10 rebounds and six Ramapo players had five or more rebounds in the contest.