Vassar Falls to RPI

POUGHKEEPSIE – After playing nine straight away from the Athletic & Fitness Center, the Vassar College men’s basketball team returned home for the first time since Nov. 20 on Friday night. The Brewers (5-8, 1-5 Liberty) led by as many as five points before RPI (9-4, 4-2 Liberty) used an 8-0 run to build a nine-point halftime advantage en route to a 71-60 victory.

RPI held a 16-15 lead when Alex Seff nailed a trey to put Vassar in front with 10:14 left in the first half. The Brewers extended the margin to 24-19 on Hugh Durham’s three-pointer at the 7:01 mark, but the Engineers responded with a 7-2 spurt to tie the score at 26-26 with 5:28 remaining in the period.

Leading 29-28, RPI rallied for eight straight points over the final 90 seconds of the first half to build a 37-28 cushion at the break. The Engineers then opened the second half on a 19-6 spurt to open up their largest lead of the game, 56-34, with 11:09 to go. Vassar rallied for nine of the next 11 points to pull within 58-43, but RPI countered with five straight points to push the margin back to 20 at 63-43. The Brewers closed the contest on a 17-8 run, though, with Lance Tebay’s late trey accounting for the final points in the 71-60 defeat.

Paul Grinde paced the Brewers with 14 points, while Zach Bromfeld tallied 10 points off the bench. Seff added nine points, and Mason Dyslin handed out three assists. David Stevenson, meanwhile, pulled down a team-best five rebounds. Vassar shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field, 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from long range, and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) at the free throw line.

For the Engineers, Patrick Mahoney, Tom Horvat and Dom Black registered 14 points apiece. Mahoney also grabbed eight rebounds, while Black distributed five assists. RPI shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor and outrebounded Vassar 34-25. The Engineers were 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) from three-point land and 11-for-20 (55 percent) at the charity stripe.

The Brewers continue their seven-game homestand on Saturday, when they take on RIT (3-10, 0-6 Liberty) at 4 p.m.