SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Despite coming back from a 13-point first-half deficit, the Vassar men's basketball team fell 62-72 to Union in the first round of the Liberty League Championships on Tuesday evening.
Vassar struggled to find any offensive rhythm early in the first half, falling behind 0-5 and not scoring until four minutes into the contest. Following a layup from Union's Mike Concannon at 11:01, the Dutchmen took their largest lead at 17-4. Midway through the half, Zach Bromfeld (Woodmere, NY) got Vassar moving, scoring the next four points. Lance Tebay (Virginia Beach, VA) then picked up Kevin McAuliffe for another basket, which cut the lead to 10-17.
Union opened the second half on a 5-0 run before Avni Mustafaj (Yonkers, NY) hit the next two Brewers shots. Vassar cut the lead to two when Mustafaj made a quick pass to Jack Rothenberg (Yardley, PA) for an open layup. The Dutchmen used a 7-0 span to force a Brewers' timeout at 11:12, putting the score 35-45. Union continued to expand their lead, but a pair of free throws by Bromfeld and a layup by Tebay after a Rothenberg steal made it a six-point game.
At 5:58, Tebay made a quick pass to Kevin McAuliffe (Bethesda, MD) in the corner. The first-year caught and shot immediately, making it a 49-55 game. Baskets went back-and-forth the next few minutes until Tebay knocked down a trey, and Mustafaj sank a floater to put the score 57-63. Rothenberg hit a three at 2:12 to put the Brewers behind four, but Union's Kevin Jefferson answered right away with a triple of his own.
The Brewers forced fouls in the final minute, but the Dutchmen made their free throws to hold on for the win.
Bromfeld finished the day with 15 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Rothenberg added ten points, six rebounds, and one steal. Zach Johnson (San Francisco, CA) and Tebay tacked on nine points each, with Tebay grabbing eight boards and dishing out three assists. Mustafaj recorded six points, six rebounds, and three assists.
For Union, Concannon had a game-high 26 points behind 10-of-16 shooting. He also led the team with eight rebounds. Brian Noone added 14 points for the Dutchmen.
Union now travels to Troy, NY, to face top-seeded RPI in the Liberty League Semifinals on Sat. Feb. 29 at 2 p.m.
