SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's basketball team shot 56.7 percent from the field on the way to 51 second-half points as the Garnet Chargers pulled away from Vassar College for a critical 86-76 Liberty League victory on Friday night at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Four players reached double figures to pace Union (8-7, 3-6 Liberty League) in the victory, led by first-year Matthew Garside with a team-leading 18 points. Classmate Tanner Tedesco netted 15 points and dished out a team-leading six assists, and senior Connor Cepiel poured in a career-high 14 points as well. Sophomore Aren Cummings also had a big game in the paint, posting his second career double-double with 10 points and a career- and game-high 13 boards.
 
Vassar (6-10, 4-5 Liberty League) was led by JP Miranda and Avery Lee with a game-high 22 points apiece.
 
The Brewers started the game on a 9-2 run and did not trail for almost the entirety of the opening frame. The visitors built their lead up to many as 12 after a Miranda turn-around with 9:42 on the clock put the Brewers up 21-9, but Tedesco answered back with a three to cut the lead back to single digits. Union clawed back to tie the score at 32 after a personal 5-0 run by Garside, but a late Lee three put Vassar up 35-34 at the half.
 
Vassar held a 39-38 lead early in the second stanza before Union made its first move, a 9-0 stint helped by five Tedesco tallies to put the home team up 47-39 with 15:14 remaining. The Garnet Chargers answered every Vassar bucket with one of their own over the next few minutes until another string of eight straight points gave Union some breathing room at 65-51 with 7:47 on the clock. The Brewers got back to within seven (67-60) with under six minutes left, but Garside hit a big three and then sunk another on the next possession to bump the lead back up to double figures.
 
Sophomore Christian Dufort sunk a huge trey with 2:42 remaining that stemmed a Vassar tide and made it a 76-64 game, and it was academic from there was Union sunk 10-of-13 free-throw attempts and played solid defense to secure the victory.
 
After shooting 37.1 percent (13 of 35) from the field in the opening half, Union connected on 17-of-30 attempts overall and 6-of-13 long-range tries in the second half to hold off the Brewers, who finished the night shooting 48.4 percent (31 of 64) from the field. The home team also went 16-of-19 from the charity stripe to help pick up the victory.
 
Union will look to keep the momentum going with three games on the home floor next week, beginning with a Tuesday night clash against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.