GENEVA, N.Y. – After dropping its Liberty League opener at Ithaca on Friday night, the Vassar College men's basketball team rebounded with a 75-72 victory at Hobart on Saturday.
Alex Seff (Arlington, VA) tallied a game-high 24 points for the Brewers (3-3, 1-1 Liberty), who beat the Statesmen (2-4, 1-1 Liberty) at Bristol Gym for the first time in 19 all-time trips.
Seff drained five three-pointers and had five rebounds to go along with his 24 points.
Zach Bromfeld (Woodmere, NY) went 6-for-7 from the field to finish with 14 points. He also grabbed six rebounds.
Paul Grinde (Virginia Beach, VA) added 13 points and seven boards, while
Hugh Durham (Savannah, GA) contributed 10 points.
Mason Dyslin (Yorktown Heights, NY) pulled down eight rebounds and
Chris Gallivan (East Walpole, MA) notched seven boards, as Vassar held a 42-34 advantage on the glass. The Brewers shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor, 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from long range, and 54.5 percent (12-of-22) at the free throw line.
Hobart took an early 6-2 advantage before a layup and a trey by Grinde on back-to-back possessions gave the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish. The cushion eventually reached 11 points when a Grinde jumper made it 29-18 with 5:38 left in the first half, but the Statesmen responded with six straight points to get back within five, 29-24. Bromfeld answered with a jumper, though, as Vassar went on an 11-4 rally to open up a 12-point edge, 40-28.
It was a nine-point game, 40-31, at halftime, but the Brewers scored the first two buckets of the second half to bring the margin back to 13 points, 44-31. Vassar led 48-35 when Hobart went on a 13-4 spurt to cut its deficit to four, 52-48, with 12:40 remaining.
A Seff trey at the 1:49 mark pushed the Brewers' lead back to nine, 71-62. The Statesmen scored eight of the next 10 points, though, to get within three, 73-70, with 33 seconds left. Vassar then turned the ball over on its next possession, giving Hobart a chance for the tie.
Tucker Lescoe missed a three, though, and Dyslin grabbed the rebound for the Brewers. He was fouled immediately and calmly sank both free throws, making it a two-possession game with 11 seconds left. After another Hobart three-pointer was off the mark, Seff secured the rebound and was sent to the line. He missed both, but the Statesmen didn't have enough time to score twice. Colin Dougherty's jumper at the buzzer accounted for the final points in 75-72 Vassar win. With the win, just their fifth ever over Hobart, the Brewers snapped a four-game losing streak against the Statesmen.
Dougherty finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals for Hobart. Jack Lesure added 15 points and six boards. Edens Fleuirzard, meanwhile, tallied eight rebounds and three blocks. The Statesmen shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the field, 25.7 percent (9-of-35) from downtown, and 72.4 percent (21-of-29) at the charity stripe.
The Brewers will now have a week off before returning to action. Vassar continues its nine-game road trip with a visit to Susquehanna (3-3) next Saturday at 4 p.m.
