POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 15, 2015) – The Vassar men's basketball team (5-7, 1-2 Liberty League) will travel to face Hobart College and Rochester Institute of Technology this weekend in back-to-back Liberty League contests.
 
Game Details
Opponent: Hobart College (7-5, 2-1 LL)
Links:  (Hobart Men's Basketball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Geneva, NY
Facility: Bristol Gym
Date: January 16, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video) (Live Audio)
 
Opponent: RIT (7-6, 2-3 LL)
Links:  (RIT Men's Basketball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Saratoga Springs, NY
Facility: Williamson Sports Center
Date: January 17, 2014
Time: 4:00 pm
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
 
What to Look For:
The Brewers will be back on the road for its second Liberty League weekend of the season, facing a pair of teams that currently occupy spots above them in the conference standings. After splitting its first weekend with a win over Union and loss to Skidmore, VC will need to get hot from beyond the arc and play tough defense to come home with a sweep.
 
Last Time Out:
Vassar tied its season-high with 11 three pointers made, as the Brewers downed Maritime College 64-57 Monday afternoon in its final non-conference game of the regular season. Junior Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) led the way for VC with a season-best 22 points, which included five buckets from the beyond the arc. Senior Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) posted his fifth double-double of the year finishing with 13 points and 15 rebounds (season-high), while fellow senior Curtis Smith (Mastic, NY/Eastport South Manor) posted 14 points.
 
A Look at the Statesmen (7-5, 2-1 Liberty League):
Hobart has had an up and down year in 2014-15, and has split its past four games in the New Year. The Statesmen lost back-to-back games to Hamilton and Clarkson, before picking things up with a 65-56 win over St. Lawrence and an 83-73 victory over RIT to get back over .500. Hobart is currently one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country, ranked 23^rd in the nation and first in the Liberty League with 28.9 recorded per game.
 
Leading the charge for the Statesmen is senior guard Connor Rehbaum, who has done a little bit of everything for his team this season. Rehbaum averages a team-high 15.0 points per game, along with 1.9 assists and 6.5 rebounds in 12 games. Fellow senior guard Trey Blanding has been outstanding at sharing the basketball for the Statesmen this year, as he is averaging a league-high 4.6 assists per game in addition to 10.3 points and 3.7 boards. Senior Andrew Hoy will also be a factor, as the guard currently averages 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists for Hobart.
 
Against Hobart All-Time:
Hobart holds the advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, as Vassar is 2-25 against the Statesmen dating back to 2001. The teams met three times last season, including in the Liberty League Championship game on March 1. Hobart got the best of the Brewers in a thrilling double-overtime final, as now-sophomore Pete Drescher sunk two free throws with eight seconds on the clock to seal the 75-74 victory.
 
A Look at the Tigers (7-6, 2-3 Liberty League)
After starting the season 5-0, RIT hit a bit of a rough patch over the month of December losing three straight before picking up a non-conference win over Brock University on December 30. The Tigers have dropped their past two conference games to Clarkson and Hobart on January 10 and 13 (respectively) and will attempt to turn things around this weekend. RIT will face Bard College on Friday night, before hosting the Brewers on Saturday, January 17.
 
RIT is not afraid to shoot the three, as the team currently ranks first in the Liberty League in 3PT field goal attempts (323) and second in 3PT field goals per game (8.2). Freshman AJ Horde has wasted no time making a difference for the Tigers in his first collegiate season, averaging a team-high 13.8 points along with 3.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.1 rebounds. Junior J.P. Reagan has also been a key contributor for the Tigers, racking up 10.6 points, 6.8 boards and 2.3 assists per contest this season. 
 
Against RIT All-Time:
Vassar is 3-4 all-time against RIT, dating back to when the teams first met in 1990. Since the Tigers joined the Liberty League in 2012, the teams have played to an even 3-3. The Brewers split with RIT last year, picking up a 71-55 win at home on January 18, before falling to the Tigers 78-88 when the teams last met on February 14, 2014.
 
Putting in Time:
Junior Erikson Wasyl (Duram, CT/Coginchaug) is currently one of the most active players in Division III basketball, as he ranks 13^th in the country and first in the Liberty League in minutes per game (37:27). Wasyl is currently averaging 12.8 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
 
Key Three Efficiency:
Vassar is 3-0 in games when shooting over 40.0% from three-point range, and a hot weekend from downtown could spell the difference for the Brewers against Hobart and RIT. Against Maritime on January 12, VC had five different players record at least one three-pointer, including freshman Fabien Bessez's first career triple.    
 
Solid Contributions:
Resting a selection of players due to injury against Maritime, head coach BJ Dunne and his staff turned to the bench to help the team earn its fifth victory of the season. Sophomore Elijah Winston (Gilbert, AZ/Gilbert Classical Academy) played a season-high 12 minutes, while collecting several crucial rebounds to keep possessions alive for the Brewers. Freshman Jesse Browne (Barrington, RI/Deerfield Academy) made his collegiate debut after missing the first half of the season, seeing 10 minutes of game action against the Privateers. Freshman Fabien Bessez scored his first career points as a Brewer, while adding a rebound, a steal and an assist in nine minutes of play.
 
Block Party:
Senior Alex Snyder is currently tied for first in the Liberty League in blocks per game with 1.8, and is second in the conference in total blocks with 21. Snyder is also tied for first in the conference in rebounds per game, pulling down 8.8 per contest through 12 games this season.
 
Elite Company:
Snyder is one of two players in Vassar basketball history to accumulate at least 800 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 70 blocks during his career in the burgundy and gray. The only other Brewer to accomplish the feat is Lawrence Avitabile '09, who finished his career with 1484 points (2^nd all-time), 812 rebounds (3^rd all-time), 208 assists (8^th all-time) and 179 blocks (2^nd all-time). At his current pace, Snyder is projected to pass Avitabile in both rebounds and assists, as the senior has currently racked up 735 and 208 (respectively).
 
100 Club:
Senior Curtis Smith hit 100 career assists against Union College on January 2, and now has 103 in his career. Smith has tallied 14 dimes so far this season.
 
Up Next:
Vassar will return to the court at the Athletic & Fitness Center next weekend to host St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University in another conference doubleheader. VC will face the Saints at 8:00 pm on Friday, January 23, before playing the Golden Knights the next day at 4:00 pm.