POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 24, 2017) — The Vassar College men's basketball team (5-12) put together an impressive game, but ultimately fell late to Trinity College (13-5) at the Athletics & Fitness Center on Tuesday, 67-58.
"I thought we played great," coach B.J. Dunne said. "I thought we played with a ton of heart. I thought we really competed… I'm really proud of what we did on both offense and defense. Obviously we want to come out with a win, but we know we just played a really good team. I'm proud of our effort today."
The Brewers found energy with a starting lineup that consisted of Kyle Kappes, Mattie Mrlik, Ryan Huegel, Elijah Winston and Chris Gallivan. Prior to the game, the five of them had combined for four individual starts all season.
"They brought new life, new energy. The starters tonight, they really just infused some life into us," Dunne said. "They played with confidence, they played together, everything we've been preaching all year. I'm really proud of those guys with the start."
The Brewers shared the ball, as all-but-one player to see the floor found the bottom of the net. Mason Dyslin and Jesse Browne tallied 11 points apiece to pace the Brewers. Additionally, Gallivan and Kappes were efficient from three-point range, going 2-of-2 and 2-of-3, respectively.
The Brewers used the three-ball to get ahead early. They hit five of their first six attempts from downtown to open the game, with each triple coming off the hand of a different Brewer.
Gallivan, Mrlik and Kappes hit a trifecta of treys to take a 9-4 advantage, while Josh Brownridge and Browne capped the three-point barrage for a 19-9 lead about midway through the half.
The Brewers held the Bantams without a three-pointer until Kyle Padmore hit their first of the night to get within three, 20-17, at the 6:26 mark. Vassar responded with a 7-2 run, capped by a Kappes three-pointer, to take its largest lead of the game, 27-19.
The Brewers hit a lull where they struggled to maintain the ball, and the Bantams strung together six straight points to pull within two, 27-15. That was the closest they came to flipping the lead the rest of the half, as Vassar carried a 31-28 edge into the locker rooms.
Looking at the first half alone, the Brewers shot 48 percent from the floor and 55 percent (6-of-11) from downtown, while holding their visitors to 42 and 17 percent (1-of-6), respectively.
Vassar showcased pristine defensive abilities to start the second half, as Winston blocked back-to-back shots on the same possession. Trinity responded with a 10-3 run to take its first lead of the contest, 38-34, with 16:23 to go.
The sides exchanged baskets from there, and the game saw six more lead changes before Browne knotted the game at 47 with a jumper. The Bantams used an 8-3 run to take their largest lead to that point, 55-50.
Dyslin hit a jumper and Gettings knocked down a pair from the line to pull within one, 55-54, but the Bantams outscored the Brewers 12-4 the rest of the way to pick up their seventh win in eight games.
Overall, the Brewers shot 50 percent from the floor and 44 percent (6-of-11) from downtown, while holding their visitors to 47 and 42 percent (5-of-12), respectively. The difference came down to turnovers, as Trinity forced 20 giveaways for 22 points.
Two Bantams reached double figures in the scoring column, as Chris Turnbull contributed 17 points and Ed Ogundeko tallied 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Vassar hits the road for a pair of games, playing at Hobart College on Friday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. and Rochester Institute of Technology the next day at 4 p.m.
"We found our heart. We found our fight again," Dunne said. We're ready for the second round of the round robin."
—VASSAR—