POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 15, 2016) — History was made in Vassar's 69-64 victory over Skidmore when senior guard Erikson Wasyl became the 14th player in Vassar College men's basketball history to score 1,000 career points.
Wasyl scored his 1,000th career point in the second half Friday night to make it a two-possession game with just 14.8 seconds to play.
"It's a great accomplishment, but it wouldn't have happened without my teammates," said Wasyl, who finished with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds. "When I came in as a freshman, everyone was just so supportive of me… Everybody's been so supportive, and it's been a long road."
Since his first year at Vassar, Wasyl (Durham, CT/Coginchaug) has grown into a leader on and off the court, and his impact can be noticed in more ways than one. This season, the senior averages 15.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
The Brewers (6-7, 2-2 Liberty) grinded out the win against the Thoroughbreds (7-6, 2-3 Liberty) after trailing by as many as nine points in the first half.
"The key to the game was just getting contributions from everybody," Wasyl said. "We love each other, and that's the big thing, we want to play for each other."
The game kicked off to a speedy start. With Paul Grinde's 3-pointer and Alex Seff's tip-in on the next possession, the Brewers jumped out to a 5-0 lead within the first two minutes. Skidmore would then score five points of its own before Seff drained a jumper.
Seff (Arlington, VA/Washington-Lee) later drew the foul on his layup and hit the extra basket to put the Brewers within four, 19-15, with 10:17 remaining in the first half. The Thoroughbreds answered with a 9-3 run to takes it biggest lead, 27-18, with 6:13 left in the first half.
After trailing 34-29 during halftime, the Brewers came out ready to battle. Just 40 seconds into the second half, a three-point play for Tony Caletti (Mill Valley, CA/Branson) cut the Thoroughbreds' lead to two, 36-32.
The Brewers amplified their game, shooting 55 percent in the second half, while holding the Thoroughbreds to 29 percent.
Vassar capitalized on Skidmore's mistakes, scoring 14 points off its 12 total turnovers. The Brewers were balling from down town, shooting 7-of-15 for 47 percent.
With just under 17 minutes remaining, Mickey Adams (Boston, MA/St. Sebastian's School) drained a triple from the wing to give the Brewers their first lead since the 18:30 mark of the first half. The lead would change 10 more times, but Vassar kept with it.
Grinde (Virginia Beach, VA/Cape Henry Collegiate School) scored 12 of his game-leading 18 points in the second half. The freshman shot 50 percent and was perfect from the line, hitting all eight free-throws.
"As a strong family, you're going to get those grind-out wins like we did tonight," Wasyl said.
Overall, Vassar shot 48 percent from the floor and held Skidmore to 36. Forward Erik Sanders paced the Thoroughbreds with 17 points, while guard Edvinas Rupkus totaled 14 points and five rebounds.
Vassar wraps up its three-game homestead Saturday at 4 p.m. against Union College before hitting the road for three games against Rochester Institute of Technology, Hobart College and Bard College.
—VASSAR—
