POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 5, 2018) – The Vassar men's basketball earned their second win in a row on Friday night as they took down Clarkson University for a 69-63 Liberty League victory.
 
Paul Grinde registered his second consecutive double-double after he tallied 15 points and 13 boards against the Golden Knights. Jesse Browne chipped in 22 points while Alex Seff muscled his way to 12 to round out the double-digit scorers. Freshman Lance Tebay had a nice all-around performance logging eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
 
Vassar used a hot start to carry them to the win, the team never trailed Clarkson by more than one and held the lead all throughout the second half.
 
The Brewers opened up an 11-1 lead early in the game and the Golden Knights first made basket didn't come until the 14:53 mark. Prior to that, Vassar forced Clarkson to score all of their points at the free throw line.
 
The Golden Knights battled back and were able to get a fast break layup by Malaquis Canery to bring them within one. On the next trip down the floor, Jason Phelps knocked down a jumper to put Clarkson in the lead. But three possessions later with the score still the same, Browne stroked a three to give Vassar a two-point lead with 8:09 to go in the first.
 
Clarkson remained close most of the way, with Seff knocking down a pair of free throws to give Vassar an eight-point advantage with under two to play before halftime. That lead was cut in half by the time the buzzer sounded and the two sides headed into the locker room with the score 34-30.
 
Vassar came out of the break strong, building their lead to 10 in just over a minute of action. Browne converted three free throws and added a fast break layup to give Vassar its largest advantage.
 
After Clarkson brought the score within one, Kyle Kappes subbed in and scored four quick points with a free throw and three-pointer on the following possession to give Vassar a five-point lead with 12:50 left to play.
 
The Brewers fended off every run made by the Golden Knights and sealed the win at the free throw line where Grinde, Browne, and Hunter Gettings score the final five points.
 
As a team, Vassar shot 35 free throws on the night converting 22 of them (62.9%). Browne led the way with 11 attempts, converting 10 of them (90.9%).
 
Vassar will be back on the courts on Saturday in Liberty League action against St. Lawrence at 4:00 p.m. in the AFC.