POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 14, 2014) – The Vassar College men's basketball team will play host to the Engineers of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Tuesday in the Brewers' final home game of the regular season.

Game Details
Opponent: RPI (8-14, 6-7 Liberty League)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics and Fitness Center Gymnasium (1,200)
Date: February 18, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Live Stats
Live Video

What to Look For
The Brewers (16-6, 8-5 Liberty League) split last weekend's games against Skidmore College and Union College. On Friday, Vassar earned the series sweep with 71-67 win over Skidmore but then dropped a 73-70 loss to Union on Senior Day. Sophomore Johnny Mrlik (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Preparatory) had mirrored performances, scoring 22 points, going 7-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He was also 3-for-8 from three-point land against Skidmore and 3-for-6 against Union. Junior Luka Ladan (Belmont, MA/Belmont) also scored 22 points against Union.

Mrlik holds the top scoring status on the team with 18.0 a night. Ladan, sophomore Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) and junior Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) add averages of 12.4, 12.3 and 10.6 points per game. Snyder, Mrlik, Ladan and senior Evan Carberry (Metuchen, NJ/Metuchen) pull down a combined 25.7 rebounds a night.

Vassar is averaging 71.3 points a night while allowing 66.2 a show. The Brewers' shooters still hold strong with a 47.4 percent field goal and a 38.6 percent three-point averages. Vassar is hitting 70.6 percent from the free throw line. The Brewers grab 38.2 boards a game and dish out 13.0 assists.

A Look at the Engineers
RPI snapped a three-game losing streak with a 103-84 victory while hosting Bard College on Tuesday. Jesus Cardenas recorded eight of his team-high 13 points in the first half. The Engineers posted a 50-26 first half lead after scoring 15 of the first 18 points of the night. RPI's three losses before the Bard win featured the lowest scores the Engineers have seen all year (49-82 Skidmore, 66-84 Clarkson and 61-80 St. Lawrence).

Josh Dugas is RPI's leading scorer, averaging 10 a game and totaling 220 points this season. Reggie Colas, Nick Keefe and Tyler Gendron all have averages of 9.0 to 9.9 a night. Chase Almond is the most consistent rebounder the Engineers have. He pulls in 6.0 caroms a show.

The Engineers average 87.8 points a show and allow 93.1 from opponents. Their free throw shooters only score from the line 62.7 percent of the time. RPI is making 37.1 percent of shots from the field and 29.0 percent from the three-point arc. The Engineers pull in 45.3 boards a night and give away 50.6.

Against Rensselaer All-Time
RPI has had success against the Brewers in the past with a 23-7 record showing proof. Earlier in the year however, Vassar got its first win since 2008 and it was also the first time the Brewers ever put up 100 points against a Liberty League school (pre-Liberty League and post-Liberty League teams excluded) in their 100-83 road win. The rest of the Vassar wins occurred from 2004-08 with a record of 6-4.

Still One Of The Best
Vassar's defensive field goal percentage is fifth in the country as of February 13. They allow only 37 percent from the floor after being the #1 defense in the country two weeks ago. The Brewers are also nationally ranked in terms of defensive rebounds per game, with a placing of #13, pulling in 29 a night, and in three-point field goal defense, being spotted at #20 and allowing 29.7 percent.

We've Got Shooters In High Percentages
The Brewers lead the way in the Liberty League with a field goal percentage of 47.4. The next closest team is the top team in the League, Hobart College with 46.3 percent. The Brewers also take the top spot honors in three-point shooting with a completion rate of 38.6 percent. Hobart follows with 35.9 percent.

Halt!
The Brewers are ranked third in the Liberty League in terms of blocked shot attempts. They stand behind Skidmore and RPI with 3.9 a game.

Up Next
The Brewers' will next hit the road for their final two games of the regular season. They face St. Lawrence University Friday, February 21 at 8:00 pm and then Clarkson University the next day at 4:00 pm.