BETHLEHEM, PA – The Vassar men's basketball team continued its winning ways to open the New Year, defeating Moravian 75-64 in the Steel Club Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Brewers have now won seven straight games as they move to 7-2 overall, while the Greyhounds slip to 4-5. In addition, juniors Avni Mustafaj (Yonkers, NY) and Ethan Ellis (Silver Spring, MD) were named to the all-tournament team.
Vassar jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first half, following a three-pointer from junior Kevin McAuliffe (Bethesda, MD) and a Mustafaj layup. Moravian responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead before junior Zach Johnson (San Francisco, CA) converted an inside score to put Vassar up 7-6. Moravian's Nate Dougherty split free throws to tie the game, but a Zev Katz (Philadelphia, PA) triple and then a tip-in by Logan Scott (Schenectady, NY) pushed the Brewers' lead to five.
The Brewers held a slight lead until Nate Santiago drained a three at 12:01 to cut the lead to 14-12. Then Alex Dietz tied the game the following Moravian possession. Two more ties followed, and the Greyhounds used a 14-2 run to take a 32-20 lead with 2:54 remaining in the half. Ellis broke the streak with a pair of free throws, and then first-year Devyn Benson (Wilmington, DE) put the score back to single digits after a layup. Moravian's DJ Weber hit a trey to make it 35-24, but Scott hit the final shot of the half to keep the Brewers only down nine.
Vassar went on to outscore Moravian 49-29 in the second half to rally for the win. The Greyhounds started strong in the second, taking a 44-33 lead at 18:17. Then a 13-0 run, comprised of seven points by Ellis, let Vassar retake the lead at 46-44. The teams traded baskets, and there were five lead changes until the game was tied 56-56 at 6:42. Mustafaj put on his playmaking abilities to find Scott inside for the layup and then found Katz on the fast break for an open three-pointer. A Mustafaj triple gave the Brewers a ten-point lead at 3:05 as the Brewers continued to pull away.
Dougherty kept it close after hitting a jumper, but Katz responded with another three-pointer to put Vassar up 71-60 with 1:46 remaining. Four straight Vassar free throws in the final minute secured the win.
Mustafaj led the Brewers with 19 points behind 8-of-13 shooting with two three-pointers. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and a block. Ellis netted 14 points, while Johnson had eight points and 11 rebounds. Katz scored a career-high 11 points, and Scott grabbed a career-best ten rebounds. Junior Jack Rothenberg (Yardley, PA) also dished out a personal best seven assists.
As a team, Vassar outrebounded Moravian 48-29.
For the Greyhounds, Dougherty led the team with 16 points, while Dietz had 13 with four rebounds.
The Brewers return home on Jan. 7 to host Clarkson at 7:30 p.m.
