Bears Fall by Three to Vassar in Opener, 69-66

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The St. Joseph's College, Brooklyn men's basketball team opened the 2011-12 season dropping a narrow 69-66 decision to Vassar College on Tuesday night at the Athletics and Fitness Center.

Vassar scored first and led for the duration but St. Joseph's hung within single digits for much of the game. With Vassar leading 69-66 in the final seconds, St. Joseph's Antoine Forehand (Bronx, NY/Rice) hoisted the game's final shot but the long three was off line and time expired.

The Bears (0-1) face Mitchell College in the Mitchell College Tip-Off Tournament on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The Brewers (1-0) hit the road to face Mount St. Mary on Friday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m.

The Brewers led 66-56 with just under 4:00 remaining but freshman David Louison (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund's Prep) keyed a 6-0 Bear run with a driving layup. Junior Jan Rogowski (Woodside, NY/St. John's Prep) added a layup and senior co-captain Justin Gist (Brooklyn, NY/Newsome) hit a pair of free throws to pull the Bears within four points at 66-62 with 2:12 remaining.

On Vassar's next possession, Nick Justiz hit a deep triple to end the Bear run and extend Vassar's lead to 69-62. In the final minute, St. Joseph's added a free throw and a three-pointer by Gist to bring the score to 69-66 but they would come no closer.

In the first half, the Brewers shot an efficient 45.5 percent to take a 37-27 lead into halftime. Vassar limited St. Joseph's to 22.5 percent from the field and a debilitating 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from 3-point range. St. Joseph's found its stride and shot 46.7 percent in the second half and went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Vassar led by several baskets for most of the first half but St. Joseph's pulled within two at 28-26 with a three-pointer by Gist just outside the four minute mark. Justiz knocked down a pull-up three to spark a 9-0 run by the Brewers just before the half.

Vassar held a 35-25 rebounding advantage and found 21 points off the bench with seven players tallying eight or more points to counter a trio of St. Joseph's players who scored over 15 points apiece.

For St. Joseph's, Louison made his intercollegiate debut and led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Gist and Rogowski each chipped in 15 points, Rogowski also adding seven rebounds. Ismael Dabo (Long Island City, NY/St. John's Prep) led all rebounders pulling down 12 rebounds.

For Vassar, Justiz finished with 15 points and shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Ethan Shanley came off the bench for 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Jon Herzog and Alex Snyder each posted eight points and five assists.

Contributed by Vassar Sports Information