ITHACA, N.Y. – The Vassar College men's basketball team began its Liberty League schedule on Friday night with a matchup at Ithaca.  In the second of nine straight road games, the Brewers (2-3, 0-1 Liberty) dropped an 87-68 decision to the Bombers (2-2, 1-0 Liberty) at Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
Ithaca jumped out to an 11-0 lead barely two minutes into the contest, but Vassar responded with an 8-3 run to pull within 14-8 with 13:58 remaining before halftime.  However, the Bombers scored 15 of the next 16 points to extend their cushion to 29-9 at the 10:53 mark.  Ithaca increased its advantage to a game-high 27 points at 46-19 before Hugh Durham (Savannah, GA) recorded the last five points of the half, cutting the Brewers' deficit to 46-24.
 
After Vassar trimmed the margin to 17 points at 72-55, the Bombers countered with an 8-0 run to push their lead back to 25 points, 80-55, with 6:15 to go.  The Brewers outscored Ithaca 13-7 the rest of the way, with David Stevenson (Duluth, GA) accounting for the final points in the 87-68 defeat.
 
Zach Bromfeld (Woodmere, NY) paced the Brewers with 13 points to go along with six rebounds.  Paul Grinde (Virginia Beach, VA) added 12 points and six boards, while Alex Seff (Arlington, VA) contributed 11 points.  Mason Dyslin (Yorktown Heights, NY) pulled down seven rebounds, as Vassar held a 43-33 edge on the glass.  The Brewers shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) from the field and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) at the line, but were just 3-for-24 (12.5 percent) from long range.
 
Riley Thompson finished with a game-high 27 points to lead Ithaca.  Matt Flood tallied 13 points and Sebastian Alderete posted 13 points.  Peter Ezema, meanwhile, registered 10 points and three steals to go along with a team-best seven rebounds.  Jake Mitchell distributed four assists for the Bombers, who shot 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from the floor, 43.2 percent (16-of-37) from three-point land, and 75 percent (9-of-12) at the charity stripe.
 
On Saturday, the Brewers conclude their opening conference weekend with a 4 p.m. visit to two-time defending Liberty League champion Hobart (2-3, 1-0 Liberty).