POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – On Dec. 12, the Vassar College men's basketball team suffered a 40-point loss against Skidmore.  A little more than a month later, the Brewers completely flipped the script on the first-place Thoroughbreds.  Vassar (7-8, 3-5 Liberty) took the lead midway through the first half and never relinquished it on Tuesday night, topping Skidmore (8-6, 6-2 Liberty) by a 77-65 count at the Athletic & Fitness Center for its second straight victory.
 
"Every game is important, so we were happy to get this one," Head Coach Ryan Mee said.  "Our guys keep working hard and playing together, and it was nice to see it come to fruition with a win tonight."
 
Skidmore led 18-13 when Hugh Durham (Savannah, GA) was fouled on a three-pointer and sank all three foul shots.  After the Brewers forced a shot clock violation on the other end, Zach Bromfeld (Woodmere, NY) drew a foul on the game-tying layup.  He then drained the free throw to put Vassar in front, 19-18.  Bromfeld added two more free throws before an Alex Seff (Arlington, VA) trey made it a six-point game, 24-18, with 8:54 left until halftime.
 
After a Bromfeld jumper extended the margin to seven, 30-23, at the 3:41 mark, Skidmore scored six of the next eight points to get back within three, 32-29.  However, Bromfeld's rebound and tip-in just before the halftime buzzer increased Vassar's advantage to 34-29 at the break.
 
Mason Dyslin (Yorktown Heights, NY) drained a trey on the first possession of the second half, and the Brewers' cushion reached 11 points when Paul Grinde's (Virginia Beach, VA) three-point play made it 45-34 with 15:36 to go.  The Thoroughbreds responded with a 14-3 spurt, though, tying the score at 48-48 on a layup and free throw by Edvinas Rupkus midway through the second half.
 
However, Grinde hit a layup on the other end to put the Brewers back in front.  Durham was then fouled on a three-pointer for the second time in the game.  He again drained all three foul shots to make it a five-point game, 53-48.
 
The Thoroughbreds rallied back to tie it at 55-55 before Grinde and Bromfeld each sank a pair of foul shots to give Vassar the lead for good.  With Skidmore forced to foul in order to stop the clock, the Brewers calmly hit their free throws to gradually increase the cushion.  Vassar didn't make a field goal over the final 2:55, but scored 11 points at the line during that span to pull away for a 77-65 triumph.
 
Seff tallied 18 points to pace the Brewers.  Bromfeld finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Grinde had 14 points, five boards and two assists.  Dyslin contributed 12 points to go along with nine rebounds, as Vassar held a 37-36 edge on the glass.  Lance Tebay (Virginia Beach, VA), meanwhile, posted nine points, five rebounds and two blocks.  As a team, the Brewers shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field, 25 percent (4-of-16) from long range, and 75 percent (27-of-36) at the free throw line.
 
Noah Meren, the Liberty League's leading scorer, registered a game-high 21 points for Skidmore.  Rupkus registered 18 points and nine rebounds, while Greg Skoric notched 14 points and eight boards.  Chase Ta handed out nine assists and added three steals for the Thoroughbreds, who went 21-for-59 (35.6 percent) from the floor.  Skidmore shot 21.4 percent (6-of-28) from three-point land and 77.3 percent (17-of-22) at the charity stripe.
 
Vassar continues its seven-game homestand on Friday, when Union (6-7, 2-5 Liberty) visits the Athletic & Fitness Center for a 7 p.m. matchup.  The Dutchmen are the two-time defending Liberty League champions.