Vassar Basketball Downs Bard, 82-60

POUGHKEEPSIE – Behind points from 12 different scorers, the Vassar College men’s basketball team bested Bard College, 82-60 in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon. The Brewers move to 7-10 overall and 3-7 in league action, while the Raptors slip to 0-16 and 0-10 in the Liberty League.

Leading the offensive charge for the Brewers was freshman forward Zach Johnson, who came off the bench to record 14 points, including seven boards and a block. Freshman guard Kevin McAuliffe added 12 points on 4-9 shooting from the floor, while senior guard Josh Brownridge had 11 points, six rebounds, and assist and a steal. Junior forward Zach Bromfeld recorded a team-best seven caroms, along with Johnson.

For Bard, four of their six players reached double-figures, paced by freshman guard Elliot Harris (Cambridge, MA). He notched a game-best 15 points with eight boards to go along with two assists and two steals. Rookie guard Stefanos Psarras (Athens, Greece) added 14 points with five boards and a steal, while classmate Tyler Bruns had 13 points and a game-best nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Stamatis Koulouris posted 12 points on the day.

Vassar got out to a strong start, but the Raptors rebounded as Koulouris scored five points early, while Harris laid down a three to close the Brewers lead to 9-8 near the 14-minute mark. The Brewers built their lead back up, as Johnson made three consecutive baskets to put Vassar up by seven. The home team continued to build to capitalize, but the Raptors pulled it to within five following a three from Bruns.

The Brewers then went on a roll, as freshman guard Ethan Ellis scored five straight points as part of an 11-1 run, creating a 14-point Vassar advantage. With just under three minutes remaining in the half, Bard cut the deficit to nine following five straight points from Koulouris and a pair of free throws from Bruns. But the home team was again able to respond, as the Brewers scored 10 of the final 12 points to close out the half and held a 43-26 advantage as the teams headed to the intermission.

Bard looked to cut into Vassar’s lead early in the second, as Psarras hit an early three to get the Raptors going. But Vassar went on a roll once again, going on a 14-2 run to gain a 59-31 lead with six minutes gone by in the half. The visitors were able to reduce the Vassar lead following a 7-0 run midway through the half, but the Brewers offense continued to have the answers down the stretch enroute to the victory.

Vassar is back on the court on Friday when it travels to Clarkson, while the Raptors are at St. Lawrence on Friday. Both games begin at 7:30pm.