POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 6, 2014) – The Vassar College men's basketball team will go for win number eight of its win streak tomorrow evening when the Brewers host the Bears of St. Joseph's College - Brooklyn in its final non-league game.

Game Details
Opponent: St. Joseph's College - Brooklyn (7-6, 2-0 HVIAC)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium
Date: January 7, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

What to Look For
The Brewers (7-1) are coming off of two close games during the Trinity College Holiday Invitational on December 30 and 31. Vassar claimed the tournament title with a 60-54 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology on Monday and a 63-62 win over the host institute on Tuesday. Sophomore guard Johnny Mrlik (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Preparatory) led the Brewers in both games with 23 points against the Jaguars of Wentworth and 16 against the Trinity Bantams. He also drained the game-tying and game-winning free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining.

The Brewers' scoring averages waivered mildly after the low-scoring tournament from 73.5 points per contest to 70.5 and is giving up instead of 64.7 points a game, 63.0 a showing. Vassar continues to out rebound its opponents per game, 41.0-31.9. Mrlik, sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) and junior forward Luka Ladan (Belmont, MA/Belmont) continue to lead the Brewers' offense with 17.6, 12.9 and 11.5 points per contest averages.

A Look at the Bears
The Bears (7-6, 2-0 HVIAC) are coming off an upsetting, home loss to Drew University 85-78 on Saturday. St. Joe's was previously on a four-game win streak including one of its two Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference wins. Down by 12 with 4:52 remaining in the game, the Drew Rangers went on a scoring terror with a 22-3 run highlighted by Mike Klinger. Klinger was the high-scorer for the Rangers with 30 points while St. Joe's David Louison tallied 30 as well. Louison led three other Bears in double-digit scoring.

The Bears average 69.8 points per game while allowing 64.1. Despite its .538 winning season so far, St. Joseph's is being muscled out from beneath the board 41.0-39.5 rebounds per outing.

In St. Joseph's season opener, the Bears loss to Trinity College 63-62.

Against St. Joseph's - Brooklyn All-Time
These two teams are set in a 3-3 deadlock in their series. The Bears took the first two games with scores of 79-77 in 1994 and 89-79 in 1995. Vassar won the next three with finals of 80-64 and 95-38 in 1996 and 69-66 in 2011. In last year's road game, the Brewers dropped a 63-56 decision to the Bears.

Keep Rollin'
The Brewers are on a seven-game win streak after the pair of victories in Hartford, CT. This is Vassar's best season start since 2007-08 where the Brewers started 11-1 including a 10-game streak. The Brewers will tie the streak after a win at Liberty League opponent Union College and will capture the record when they host Hobart College.

D-Fence
Vassar's defense is allowing the least amount of points per game in the Liberty League. It is giving up 63.0 points a contest while Clarkson University's defenders have given up 69.1 for second-best in the league.

Boardwalk
The Brewers are pulling down the third best rebounding average in the league while given up the lowest average to their opponents. The Brewers' opponents are grabbing 31.9 rebounds a game while Vassar is taking 41.0 a showing. Junior forward Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) is second in the Liberty League with 8.9 boards a contest behind Hobart's Richie Bonney who has an average of 12.1. Mrlik is 10th in the league with a 6.5 average.

Head-LINE-er
Mrlik is second in the Liberty League with a .889 free throw shooting percentage. He has drained 40-of-45 and is behind Union College's Keith Callies who has hit 18-of-19 for an average of .947. Ladan has hit 24-of-31 free throw attempts for an average of .774 and a ninth place seating in the league.

Three Points Are Better Than Two And One
Wasyl is second in the league for three-pointer percentages with a .488, having made 20-of-41 attempts. Mrlik is seventh with a .365 average. He drained 19-of-52 three-pointers.

Up Next
The Brewers will hit the road for their opening-Liberty League weekend on Friday, January 10 for an 8:00 pm tip-off against Skidmore College. Vassar will then head to Union College the next day for a 4:00 pm start.