POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (December 17, 2015) – The Vassar College men's basketball team will wrap up the calendar year of 2015 down in sunny, warm Puerto Rico, as the Brewers head way south for the Puerto Rico Classic, hosted in San Juan. VC will take on two teams also from blustery climates, battling Gustavus Adolphus from Minnesota and Central College out of Iowa. The Brewers have not played wince December 9, falling at home to a strong Southern Vermont College squad 76-74, despite 21 points from freshman center Paul Grinde (Virginia Beach, VA/Cape Henry Collegiate).

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Gustavus Adolphus College (3-4, 1-3 MIAC)
Links:
(Vassar Men's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(GAC Men's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Facility:  Coliseo Rubén Zayas Montañez
Date: December 28, 2015
Time:  5:00 p.m. EST

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Central College (8-1, 0-0 IIAC)
Links:
(Vassar Men's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Central Men's Basketball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Facility:  Coliseo Rubén Zayas Montañez
Date: December 29, 2015
Time:  5:00 p.m. EST

What To Look For
The Brewers have alternated wins and losses each game so far this season, but Vassar will look to buck that trend in Puerto Rico. Vassar's problem in losses has been the ability to put two complete halves of basketball together, as the Brewers have been outscored by eight or more in a half in each of their four losses. In those losses though, the other half hasn't been a problem as Vassar is a plus-two in each of their other four halves. If the Brewers can stay within striking distance through both halves, VC should be a tough task for both Gustavus Adolphus and Central.

A Look At The Gusties (3-4, 1-3 MIAC)
Gustavus Adolphus comes into the game on a three-game losing streak, having fallen to Augsburg College, Bethel University and Macalester College since December 5.  The Gusties like to share the basketball, as the team enters the week with the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's best assist rate at 16.6 helpers per game, while putting up 60.7 field goals per game, second most in the conference. GAC can also shoot the ball from the perimeter, making 39.3 percent from downtown, which ranks 43^rd nationally. Gustavus also only turns the ball over 11.4 times a game, the 31^st lowest percentage in the nation, and its 80 total giveaways is 28^th while GAC's assist to turnover ratio tops the MIAC and is 11^th in Division III at a rate of 1.45.

The Gusties only have one player on their roster averaging in double figures, as Brody Ziegler is pouring in 13.4 points per game on 60.6 percent shooting from the floor. Ziegler also leads GAC in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game, while five players also average eight or more points per game on this very balanced squad. Gary Cooper, who has missed the last three games, averages 9.8 points per game, while Chris Narum has started all seven games and has made 43.6 percent (17-39) from downtown. Chad Poppen has started the three games in Cooper's place and is averaging 9.1 points per game, while Riley Sharbono is coming off the bench to contribute 8.1 points a night, hitting 10 of his 15 triples so far this season. Narum is the team's leader in assists with four per game, and Sergio Najera has started all seven games and is the team's shot blocking presence with nine.

Against Gustavus Adolphus
Not surprisingly, Monday's battle with the Gusties will be the first meeting between the two teams. In fact, Vassar has never played anyone from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

A Look At The Dutch (8-1, 0-0 IIAC)
Central College of Iowa has been running on all cylinders of late, as the Dutch have won four straight and are 8-1 on the season with the only loss coming in overtime to Nebraska Wesleyan. Central enters the weekend in Puerto Rico as the nation's second-best defensive rebounding team, pulling down 34.25 rebounds per game. Also, Central is fourth nationally in assists per game with 20.6, while ranking in the top 20 in Division III in personal fouls per game, scoring margin, total assists, and three's made per game. Central plays an up-tempo style of basketball, which has seen the Dutch fire 274 three-pointers through nine games.

The Dutch have one of the best players in the Midwest in Division III in Colby Taylor, who enters the games down in Puerto Rico averaging 24.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in just 29.1 minutes per game. His efficiency is what makes him such a great player, as he is shooting 60 percent from the floor and 49.1 percent from behind the arc. Also, in nine games Taylor has turned the ball over just 16 times. Alongside Taylor is another strong inside presence in Ryan Kunkel, who leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per game while blocking three shots a night. Kunkel and Kyle Smith each pour in over 11 points on a nightly basis, while Austin Glawe also posts 10.2 points off the bench for CC. Smith is sixth in the nation in free throw shooting at 95.8 percent, while Kunkel is seventh in blocks.

Against Central All-Time
As was the case with Gustavus, the Brewers will take on Central for the first time in program history Tuesday. Vassar has also never played anyone from the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

That's What He Said
"We are very excited about our trip to San Juan. This trip gives us the opportunity to compete on the national level, fully immerse ourselves in a different culture and bond together as a team. We are fortunate that we have played a mid-western team already this year so we are prepared for the physical post play and the ability of the guards to make spot up three's. Both Gustavus Adolphus and Central have a rich basketball tradition...both making the NCAA Tournament 10 plus times with Gustavus having played in an NCAA Final Four. " – Head coach BJ Dunne.

"The vision of our program is to compete in the NCAA Tournament and it is imperative that we play against programs that have had that type of success. Games right after the winter break are like the first few games of the season...you can flip a coin to decide the winner. We must be the most prepared and be committed to making the hustle plays. This is a once in a lifetime trip for our players and I am excited to share this experience with this team." – Head coach BJ Dunne.

It's The Final Countdown
Brewer senior guard Erikson Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) is looking to become the 14^th player in Vassar history with 1,000 points this season, and he's well on his way to doing that. Wasyl has 901 career points now, and would need to average 5.5 points per game the rest of the way to get there.

No Liberty Love
The Liberty League currently boasts just two teams with winning records, as Skidmore (5-1) and RPI (5-2) are the pair of squads above .500 coming into the week.

Locked Up, Won't Let Me Out
The Vassar College defense has been putting the clamps down so far this season, posting a scoring defense of 69.9 points per game, which is third-best in the Liberty League.

Three Amigos
The Brewers are the only team in the conference with three players in the top 10 in scoring, as Wasyl (15.3), Jesse Browne (Barrington, RI/Deerfield Academy) (15.3) and Paul Grinde

(14.6) are all sixth, seventh and ninth respectively.
On The Grind
Freshman center Paul Grinde already has three games with 20 or more points, which is the most in a season for a newcomer since Johnny Mrlik posted four back in his freshman campaign of 2011-12.

Aggressive Alex
Freshman Alex Seff (Arlington, VA/Washington-Lee) has given the Brewers a nice ball-handling option off the bench, as he played 16.3 minutes off the bench in six games, averaging 5.0 points per game.

No More Non-League
After Monday and Tuesday's games on the Island of Enchantment, Vassar will finish its schedule exclusively against Liberty League teams.

Give Us One
Over the last three games, the Brewers have forced a combined 16 turnovers against Trinity (CT), Hamilton and Southern Vermont.

Up Next
Vassar jumps into conference action on the road after the New Year, opening action in 2016 in North Country Friday, January 8 at St. Lawrence University at 8 p.m. in Canton, NY.