POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 16, 2014) – The Vassar College men's basketball team will host its first home Liberty League games this weekend when Hobart College and Rochester Institute of Technology make the trek to the Athletics and Fitness Center.

Game Details
Opponent: Hobart College (8-4, 2-1 LL)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: January 17, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (6-4, 0-1 LL)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: January 18, 2014
Time: 4:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

What to Look For
The Brewers (9-2, 1-1 LL) recently had their nine game win streak snapped by Liberty League opponent, Union College this past Saturday. The Dutchmen provided themselves with a cushy, 10-point lead going into halftime. Despite the Brewers outscoring the hosts, 46-41 in the second half, the first half deficit held Union's 79-74 win out of reach of Vassar.

Sophomore guard Johnny Mrlik (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Preparatory) leads Vassar with 17.6 points per game and is followed by sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) with 12.7 and junior forward Luka Ladan (Belmont, MA/Belmont) with 11.2 a showing. Junior forward Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) earns the recognition under the board with an 9.4 rebounding average that tops last week's pre-weekend standing of 8.6 a game. Ladan follows with 6.2 and Mrlik sits in third on the team with 6.0 boards a contest.

The Brewers are averaging 70.7 points on offense while allowing only 64.5 on defense. Vassar is hitting for 45.0 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

A Look at the Statesmen
The Statesmen earned their second Liberty League win with a 92-80 home stay against RIT. Richie Bonney shot a game-high 25 points a pulled in 10 boards for his 11th double-double in 12 games. Connor Rehbaum added 19 tallies to the scoreboard as well as dished out a career-high eight helpers.

Hobart is averaging 79.5 points per game while surrendering 76.6. The Statesmen hold a slight advantage over their opponents from the floor. They have completed 340-of-754 field goal attempts (45.1 percent) while allowing their opposites to hit 328-of-739 (44.4 percent).

Against Hobart All-Time
The Vassar-Hobart series is led by the Statesmen, 22-2 since 2001. Both of Vassar's wins were at home. The Brewers' last win occurred in 2008 when they defeated Hobart 78-73.

A Look at the Tigers
In their opening Liberty League play, the Tigers gave up a double-digit lead in their 92-80 loss to Hobart. JP Reagan and Miguel Lopez both had 16 points to lead RIT. Kamron Davis, Jameel Balenton and Brendan Reinert all supplemented the Tigers' scoring with 10 tallies each.

RIT has totaled 74.1 points per outing while allowing 70.3 to be scored by its opponents. With such close shooting percentages, RIT's success has come from its ability to plainly, shoot more often from beyond the arc and at the free throw line. The Tigers have hit 237-of-600 (45.5 percent) from the floor while allowing 259-of-564 (45.9 percent) attempts. They have also hit 72-of-199 (36.2 percent) from the arc and 123-of-185 (66.5 percent) from the charity line.

Against RIT All-Time
Vassar and RIT have met only once before the Tigers joined the Liberty League in the 2011-12 season in 1990. RIT hosted a tournament where the two teams were first introduced on January 5. The Tigers walked away with a 113-64 win over the Brewers. Vassar took the next two meetings in 2012 with scores of 73-63 and 72-69. RIT won both games last year.

Rebounding Back
Vassar's presence under the board is solid this year. The Brewers have given up the least amount of boards with an average of 33.1 a game for a League high. Vassar has gathered 41.1 a showing for a League second best with a best in defensive rebounds of 30.0.

To The Arc…And Beyond!
Vassar's three-point shooters and defenders are combining for second best in the Liberty League in the three categories of three-point field goal percentage (38.4 percent), three-point field goal percentage defense (28.6 percent) and three-point field goals made (7.6 a game).

The Brewers have also not allowed a player shoot for more than 50 percent from beyond the arc in the past six games. The only two players to hit more than three three-pointers while keeping a percentage above 50 percent were Western Connecticut State University's Jengodji Gates and SUNY New Paltz's Nick Taldi.

Speaking Of Shooting Defense…
The Brewers lead the Liberty League in defense field goal percentage. They have allowed their opponents to only hit 242-of-661 shots (36.6 percent). Skidmore follows with 292-of-721 (40.5 percent). The Brewers also have blocked 43 shots in 11 games (3.91 a game) for a League third best.

Up Next
The Brewers' next week will be a full week with three home Liberty League games. The Bard College Raptors will be the first to visit the AFC on Tuesday, January 21 at 8:00 pm. The Clarkson University Golden Knights will arrive for a Friday night game at 8:00 pm and the Saints of St. Lawrence University will be the later game on Saturday.