POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 4, 2015) – The Vassar men's basketball team (4-6, 1-1 Liberty League) will return to the Athletics and Fitness Center to host its first Liberty League game of the season against Bard College, on Tuesday, January 6.   
 
Game Details
Opponent: Bard (5-4, 0-0 Liberty)
Links:  (Bard Men's Basketball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Athletics & Fitness Center
Date: January 6, 2014
Time: 8:00 pm
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
What to Look For:
The Brewers will have an opportunity to pick up their second conference victory of the season against Bard this Tuesday in what is primed to be a close, grind-it-out matchup. With both teams averaging just around 65.0 points a game, defense and free throw efficiency will be crucial in this bout of Hudson Valley rivals.
 
Last Time Out:
Vassar split its Liberty League debut weekend this past week, first defeating Union College 88-80 on Friday, January 2 before falling to Skidmore the following day 69-65. In what perhaps what was one of the team's most difficult road weekends of the year, the Brewers held their own, handing Union its first loss to VC since January 6, 2012. VC almost stole another road game from Skidmore less than 24 hours later, but came up just short in the final minutes as the Thoroughbreds were able to seal the four-point victory.
 
A Look at the Raptors (5-4, 0-0 Liberty)
Bard enters Tuesday's contest 5-4 on the year, and is back in action for the first time since beating Medgar Evers College 71-60 on December 13. The Raptors will now shift their focus into the Liberty League, as Bard tips off its first conference game of the season against the Brewers.
 
Bard is much improved from a year ago, as this year's squad has already matched its win total from 2013-14, when the Raptors finished 5-20 and 0-16 in the liberty League. Part of the team's success can be attributed to the emergence of freshman guard DeVahnte Mosley, who is averaging a team-high 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds this season. Mosley has also been a key facilitator for the Raptors, averaging 3.2 assists with 1.6 steals per contest through nine games. Senior Siondueh Burnette has also been a big contributor for Bard, racking up 10.9 points per game along with 5.0 boards to help lead his team to one of its best starts over the past decade.
 
Against Bard All-Time:
Vassar is 27-4 all-time against Bard, dating back to 1989 when the series began. The games have been much closer between the Hudson River rivals in recent years, as the Brewers are 3-3 against the Raptors in the past six meetings. Vassar got the best of Bard in both matchups last season, starting with a 66-59 home victory on January 21, 2014. The Brewers followed it up with a 79-75 win on February 4, keyed by a team-high 22 points from Johnny Mrlik (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Prep).     
 
Trio of Double-Doubles:
Senior Alex Snyder (Rutland, VT/Rutland) is currently experiencing one of his most productive stretches of the season, posting three consecutive double-doubles against Southern Vermont (12/10), Union (1/2) and Skidmore (1/3). This is the second time in Snyder's career that the forward has posted three double-doubles in a row, after previously finishing with at least 10 points and rebounds against Union (2/15/14), RPI (2/18/14) and St. Lawrence (2/21/14) last season. Snyder has never posted four in a row during his tenure at Vassar, and will have the opportunity to notch his first career double-double against the Raptors on Tuesday.
 
Wasyl Coming on Strong:
Junior Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) has reached double digits in five straight games for Vassar, highlighted by a season-high 17 points is VC's win over Union. Wasyl also notched six rebounds in the victory, which tied his season-high previously posted in his team's 70-61 win over SUNY-New Paltz November 18. Wasyl currently leads the Brewers with 23 three pointers made this season on .559 pct. shooting from long range.
 
Downtown Boost:
Vassar finished 16-36 from beyond the arc over the weekend, including a season-best .556 3FG pct. against Union on 10-18 shooting January 2. Coming into the start of Liberty League play, VC shot just .301 from three pointy range, but was a combined .444 against Union and Skidmore. Vassar is currently 3-1 in games where the team sinks at least eight triples, and will need similar production for the remainder of the season to put away opponents.   
 
Up Next:
Vassar will play its final non-conference game of the regular season back in the AFC on January 12, as the Brewers host Maritime College at 1:00 pm.