Vassar Rally Falls Short Against Mount St. Vincent

POUGHKEEPSIE – The Vassar College men’s basketball team rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to take the lead with two minutes left on Tuesday night. However, Mount St. Vincent (1-3) scored nine of the final 10 points to notch a 71-66 victory over the Brewers (1-2) at the Athletic & Fitness Center.

Mount St. Vincent built a six-point lead just 2:30 into the game, but Vassar gradually chipped away, getting within two, 16-14, on Zach Bromfeld’s layup with 7:58 left before halftime. After a layup by Steve Palecki brought the Brewers within one at 22-21, the Dolphins went on a 7-0 spurt to push the margin back to eight points, 29-21, with 2:42 remaining in the first half.

It was a 39-27 game at the break, and Mount St. Vincent still held a 12-point advantage when Vinny Tavella’s trey made it 47-35 four minutes into the second half. Hugh Durham hit a three on the other end, though, sparking an 8-0 run that brought the Brewers within four, 47-43.

A pair of free throws by Paul Grinde at the 5:52 mark tied the score at 56-56, then, after the teams traded layups back-and-forth, Mason Dyslin drained a three-pointer to give Vassar its first lead of the game, 63-60, with 2:18 to go. The Brewers still held a three-point cushion, 65-62, after Bromfeld’s layup with 1:11 left.

Tavella tied it with a three-ball on the other end, though, and Mount St. Vincent went back in front on a Raiquis Harris layup with 36 seconds remaining. After a Vassar turnover, Harris sank a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game. The Dolphins went 4-for-4 at the line down the stretch, with two Kalos Evans foul shots capping off the 71-66 triumph for Mount St. Vincent.

Grinde paced the Brewers with 16 points and eight rebounds. He also had two blocks. Bromfeld finished with 12 points and eight boards, while Alex Seff tallied 12 points, three assists and three steals. Dyslin posted eight points, eight rebounds and three assists before fouling out. Vassar shot 37.9 percent (22-of-58) overall, but was just 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) from long range. The Brewers went 14-for-20 (70 percent) at the charity stripe and outrebounded the Dolphins 49-37.

For Mount St. Vincent, Evans had a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. Tavella added 13 points, six boards and three steals, while Mamadou Mariko contributed nine points off the bench. Jason Barrera pulled down eight rebounds for the Dolphins, who shot 38.2 percent (26-of-68) from the field. Mount St. Mary’s was 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from downtown and 11-for-15 (73.3 percent) at the charity stripe.

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