POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 20, 2014) – The Vassar College men's basketball team will host three Liberty League games this week when they welcome the Raptors of Bard College on Tuesday, the Golden Knights of Clarkson University on Friday and the Saints of St. Lawrence University on Saturday.

Game Details
Opponent: Bard College (5-7, 0-3 LL)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: January 21, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: Clarkson University (7-6, 1-3 LL)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: January 24, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

Game Details
Opponent: St. Lawrence University (5-7, 1-2 LL)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: January 25, 2014
Time: 4:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video


What to Look For
The Brewers (10-3, 2-2 Liberty League) had four players score in double-figures Saturday against Rochester Institute of Technology in Vassar's 71-55 win. The home defense also kept the visiting Tigers to 31.3 percent shooting for the game. Junior Curtis Smith (Mastic, NY/Eastport South Manor) led the Brewers with 15 points. Freshman Otis Osman (Far Hills, NJ/Pingry School) came off the bench and scored 13 points.

Sophomore guard Johnny Mrlik (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Preparatory) leads Vassar with 17.2 points per game and is followed by sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) with 12.7 and junior forward Luka Ladan with 10.8 a showing. Junior forward Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) earns the recognition under the board with a 9.2 rebounding average. Ladan follows with 6.2 boards and Mrlik sits in third on the team with 5.8 boards per contest.

The Brewers are averaging 70.0 points on offense while allowing only 63.6 on defense. Vassar is hitting 45.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

A Look at the Raptors
The Raptors fell to Hobart College on Saturday afternoon, 71-59 in League play. Bard shot 55 percent from the floor in the first half but the success was short-lived when Hobart's Joe Gibbons, Connor Rehbaum and Richie Bonney ended up combining for 50 points. The Raptors' Lamar Powell finished with 20 tallies while Brandon Cunningham added 14 points and 10 boards.

Opponents have outscored the Raptors 74.7-68.8 per game. Their three-point shooters hold the advantage, shooting 33.5 percent while allowing only 28.9 percent. Powell leads Bard with 21.8 points per game while Siondueh Burnette is pulling in 6.9 caroms a night.

Against Bard All-Time
Vassar leads Bard all-time 25-4. Three of Bards wins came in the past two years. The Raptors won both games in 2012 and the first of 2013. Bard's only other win occurred in 1991. The Brewers defeated Bard in their last meeting 74-68. The Raptors have never outscored Vassar by more than four points.

A Look at the Golden Knights
Clarkson narrowly lost to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, 71-69 in double overtime. In total, the Knights have lost by a combined 13 points in their three Liberty League losses. Marques Charlton put up a three-pointer on Clarkson's final possession that missed its mark and allowed RPI the win. Charlton had 21 points and eight rebounds as well as four assists and two steals.

John Coleman leads the Knights with 18.4 points a contest. He also leads the presence under the board with 7.4 rebounds a game. Clarkson is averaging 75.7 points per showing with an allowance of 70.9. The Knights average from the floor is 46 percent and 36.2 percent from three-point land.

Against Clarkson All-Time
Clarkson holds a seven-game advantage in the series, 18-9. The Knights swept last year with Vassar fighting a close game in the first meeting but fell 75-67 and Clarkson earning a more solid win 72-54 in the second. The Knights have the largest win streak in the series when they won six from 2002-04.

A Look at the Saints
The Saints earned a 67-59 win in their final non-league game of the year against Elmira College. Kyle Kobis scored a career-high 25 points on Friday night as a freshman. Al Jones and Brady Condlin both scored in double-figures with 12 and 15 points, respectively. The Saints will face Bard College on Friday before Saturday's game at the AFC.

St. Lawrence's offense is at a slight disadvantage, only scoring 73.4 points a night while its defense gives up 75.5 points per game. The Saints shooters have made 43.6 percent from the floor and are also hitting 36.1 percent from outside the three-point arc. Condlin leads SLU with 19.3 points a showing. Janpeter Brase is pulling down 6.9 boards a game for the Saints.

Against St. Lawrence All-Time
The Saints lead the series 18-8. The Brewers have the current streak in the series with a late split in 2012 and a sweep of last year's games. At St. Lawrence in last year's first contest, then sophomore Andrew Adkins (Richmond, VA/Steward School) hit a jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining for the go-ahead win. The second game at the AFC would be just as close as the two teams went into double overtime, with Vassar coming out on top, 84-80.

Box Out!
Vassar's presence under the board is solid this year. The Brewers rank first in the Liberty League in rebounding defense, giving up an average of 33.2 rebounds per game. They average 40.1 rebounds per game, which is currently the fifth highest rebounding offense in the League.

He's Got Game
Vassar holds the highest three-point percentage in the league with an average of 39.8 percent over 13 games. The Brewers rank second in the League in three-pointer with an average of 7.8 per game.

In the January 17 contest against Hobart College, sophomore guard Mrlik made six three-pointers. Vassar had four players score multiple field goals from behind the three-point arc in the January 18 win against RIT.

Not in My House!
The Brewers lead the Liberty League in field goal percentage defense; having forced opponents to just shoot 36.5 percent from the field. The Brewers' defense currently holds opponents to 63.6 points per game, the lowest scoring against average in the League. They rank second in the League in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to just a 29.2 percent. The Brewers average 5.54 blocked shots per game, behind RPI and Skidmore.

Up Next
The Brewers will next have a slow week with only one game on the road. They will travel to Troy, NY to face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Tuesday, January 28 at 8:00 pm.