Box Score

Courtesy: Vassar Athletic Sports Information

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY  -- The Union men's basketball team broke open a slim four-point halftime advantage over Vassar at the Athletics & Fitness Center on Saturday afternoon with a 52-point second half performance to defeat the Brewers 87-58. The Dutchmen came out of the locker rooms nearly unable to miss while Vassar struggled to make shots, and outscored the home squad 15-3 in the first six minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach.

Vassar is now 2-16 and 0-7 in the Liberty League. Union's record improves to 9-8 overall and 5-2 in the league.

The first half featured a series of scoring runs from both teams, as neither could find consistent offensive momentum. Union led 12-2 just four minutes into the game before Vassar found its groove; the Brewers then went on a 7-0 run to close the gap to 12-9. The Dutchmen outscored Vassar 14-4 over the next six-minute span, but the Brewers responded with some improved outside shooting to narrow the lead once again.

Vassar's Nicholas Justiz was largely responsible for the team's offensive spurt in that stretch. The sophomore guard was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc in the first half and added three assists; he would finish the game with a career-high 14 points on 5-6 shooting.

Justiz's trifecta with just over a minute to play cut the Union lead to one, 30-29, and the Dutchmen led by just four, 35-31, at the buzzer.

But the visitors started the second half with an inspired offense, sparked largely by the post play of freshman center Keven Donohue, who finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting. Union was dominant in the post throughout the game, outscoring the Brewers 46-6 in the paint, and their shot selection led to a stellar 70% team shooting performance in the second half.

Vassar forward John Donnelly was a bright spot in the Brewer offense throughout the game; the freshman shot 5-10 from the field to finish with 15 points and also led the Brewers with eight rebounds.

For Union, Joey Lokitis and Drew Goldstein followed Donohue's performance with 15 and 16 points, respectively. Lokitis also turned in six assists and eight rebounds.

Union returns to the court on Tuesday at Skidmore. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.