POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 6, 2017) – The Vassar College men's basketball team shot 26.2 percent (16-61) on Friday night, as the Brewers dropped a Liberty League home contest to Rochester Institute of Technology 61-44 in action from the Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
The home game for the Brewers (4-7, 0-3 Liberty League) was their first since November 22, and the home rust showed as Vassar's shots seemed to rim out all night. VC's defense was stout throughout the contest, holding visiting RIT (7-5, 1-2 Liberty League) to 35 percent shooting for the game, but the hosts nailed just two of their 23 attempts from behind the arc in the defeat.
 
Vassar fell behind early, as the Tigers scored the first six points of the game capped by a bucket by Robert Aguilera. RIT grew its lead up to as much as 11 at 2:46 of the opening half on a pair of freebies by AJ Horde, but the Brewers battled back. VC finished the half on a 9-1 spurt, highlighted by a layup right before the halftime buzzer by Jesse Browne to make the score 28-25 at the break.
 
After intermission, the RIT lead hovered around six to eight points before Vassar got as close as three at 36-33 after a fast-break layup from Mason Dyslin following a rejection from Chris Gallivan. The Tigers responded with an 8-2 run to push the score back to nine, followed by another stretch that helped RIT extend its lead out in earning the 17-point victory.
 
The hosts struggled down the stretch, connecting on just two field goals over the last 7:32 of regulation despite some open looks, which turned out to be the deciding factor. Browne finished the contest with 17 points, posting a career-high 12 rebounds for the game, pushing past his previous high of nine in which he accomplished three times. It was Browne's first career double-double.
 
Dyslin finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, as he chalked up his eighth game in the last night outings with double-digit scoring. Senior Mickey Adams added seven rebounds for the Brewers, while Ryan Huegel came off the bench to score three points but was great defensively, helping hold leading Liberty League scorer AJ Horde to eight points below his season average.
 
Horde finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, adding five assists and three steals, while Troy Pierre-Louis was 4-of-5 from deep in chalking up 12 points. Aguilera had a game-high 14 caroms in addition to eight points and four blocks, as RIT won the rebounding battle 49-45.
 
The Brewers will get right back into Liberty League action on Saturday morning, returning to the AFC floor to host the Statesmen of Hobart College at 4 p.m. in the second of five straight home league contests.