MADISON, N.J. – After playing each of its first three contests at home, the Vassar College men's basketball team began a nine-game road trip on Monday night. The Brewers (2-2) saw a 13-point lead cut to three late in the second half, but made four free throws down the stretch to secure a 62-57 victory over FDU-Florham (2-5) at the Ferguson Recreation Center.
FDU-Florham took an early 11-5 lead before a pair of
Hugh Durham (Savannah, GA) three-pointers tied it with 12:45 left in the first half. Durham scored seven straight points during an 11-0 Vassar rally that
Steve Palecki (Southborough, MA) capped with a trey to make it 16-11 at the 11:27 mark of the opening period.
The Devils tied it at 16-16 before a
Neville Lee (Yonkers, NY) three-ball on the other end sparked a 12-2 spurt that put the Brewers up 28-18 with 3:41 to go before halftime. After an
Alex Seff (Arlington, VA) jumper extended the margin to 11 points, 32-21, FDU-Florham ended the half on a 5-0 run to cut its deficit to six, 32-26, at intermission.
An Anthony Mitchell three-pointer eight minutes into the second half brought the Devils within three, 41-38, but Vassar countered with 12 of the next 14 points to extend its cushion to a game-high 13 points, 53-40, with 6:10 left. After the Devils got within seven at 53-46, a Seff trey and a pair of Durham free throws pushed the Brewers' advantage back to 12 points, 58-46, with 2:46 left. FDU-Florham scored nine straight points over the next 95 seconds, though, to pull within three, 58-55.
Each team missed a three-pointer on its next possession,
Zach Bromfeld (Woodmere, NY) rebounded FDU-Florham's attempt with 21 seconds left. He was immediately fouled and sank the first free throw to make it a two-possession game. Bromfeld missed the second, but Lee secured the rebound and was fouled. He made both to extend the cushion to 61-55. Seff then capped off the 62-57 victory, as Vassar snapped its two-game losing streak.
Seff finished with 18 points to pace Vassar. He also pulled down five rebounds. Durham was the only other Brewer in double-figures with 10 points. Bromfeld registered nine points and seven rebounds.
Paul Grinde (Virginia Beach, VA) also grabbed seven boards, as Vassar outrebounded FDU-Florham 44-25. As a team, the Brewers shot 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from long range, and 75 percent (15-of-20) at the charity stripe.
Shawn Smith and Andy Fleurantin led the Devils with 14 points apiece. Mitchell added nine points and three assists, while Oliver Ortman had eight points and three assists. Rajaan Dixon corralled eight rebounds to go along with his three assists. FDU-Florham shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the floor and 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from three-point land, but was just 3-for-9 (33. 3 percent) at the free throw line.
Up next for the Brewers is the start of Liberty League play this weekend. Vassar (0-0 Liberty) visits Ithaca (1-1, 0-0 Liberty) at 7 p.m. on Friday before traveling to Hobart (1-2, 0-0 Liberty), the two-time defending conference champions, at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
