POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 28, 2017) – Vassar men's basketball was outlasted by third ranked Williams College on Tuesday night, 90-57, in the Brewers home opener.
 
Ten different Brewers scored on the night, with three players reaching nine points. Paul Grinde who had nine points also led the team with seven rebounds. Owen Murray recorded just two points, but registered five rebounds and three assists. Hugh Durham played just 14 minutes, but tallied nine points and hit two out of six three-pointers.
 
Vassar held their own in the opening minutes, playing hard defense and keeping pace on the offensive end. The Brewers held a 7-5 lead at the 16:46 mark after two made free throws by Murray. But once Williams tied the score at 7-7 they took control of the game and never relinquished the lead. The Ephs finished the first half on a 28-14 run to give themselves a 14-point lead at the break.
 
In the second half, Vassar would find themselves down by as much as 41 at the midway point of the stanza, but continued to play hard and finish the game strong.
 
Jesse Browne and Grinde combined for the first six points of the half as the center hit two layups and Browne knocked down a jumper for the Brewers. But Williams pressured Vassar into mistakes and capitalized with transition buckets.
 
The Ephs scored over half of their 55 second half points in the paint (34) and capitalized off Brewer mistakes, scoring 15 points off turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
 
For the game, Vassar shot 38.5% from the field, including 48% shooting in the second half. From the free throw line, the Brewers were 12-20 (60%) for the game and 9-15 over the final 20 minutes.
 
Vassar opens up league play this weekend with two home games against Ithaca and Hobart. Action begins on Friday at 8:00 p.m. with the Bombers, followed by a Saturday clash with the Statesmen at 4:00 p.m.