POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Union College men's basketball team ended regulation on a 16-3 run to force overtime, but the Garnet Chargers could not keep the momentum going in extra time as Vassar College escaped with a 93-89 victory in Liberty League action on Friday night at the Vassar Athletic and Fitness Center.
 
The loss keeps Union (8-8, 4-5 Liberty League) on the edge of postseason contention at the midway point of conference play, sitting in a three-way tie for sixth place with St. Lawrence University and Bard College.
 
Sophomores Jack Plesser and Tanner Tedesco both has superlative games for the Garnet Chargers in a losing effort. Plesser led the team with 27 points and added nine rebounds, while Tedesco went for 24 points with seven assists, four caroms and three steals. Fellow sophomores Jaden Jauregui (11 points) and Brendan Reid (10 points, 10 rebounds) also had solid efforts for the visitors.
 
Vassar (10-6, 6-3 Liberty League) was paced by Avery Lee with a game-high 33 points and Shea Fitzgerald with 23 points.
 
The Brewers scored the first three points of overtime and never trailed over the five-minute span. Union tied the game at 83 before Vassar went back ahead by two, and Union then missed four straight shots on the next possession to give the ball back to the home team, who got a Lee layup to take an 87-83 edge with 1:36 remaining. The Garnet Chargers got back within two at 88-86 after a Plesser layup, but Vassar made 5-of-6 free throws the rest of the way to keep Union from mounting another comeback.
 
Vassar started the game with a 9-2 run and never trailed in the opening frame. The Brewers hit 15 of their first 24 shots (62.5 percent) and limited Union to 8-of-18 shooting over the first 13:36 of play to build up a 19-point edge at 39-20, led by 11 points from Fitzgerald. But Union weathered the storm and closed the frame on a 17-6 run, with Tedesco scoring 11 points to pace the visitors. As a team, Union hit 7-of-10 shots over the final 5:47 of the period and limited the Brewers to 2-of-11 shooting to get back in the game.
 
Despite Vassar's hot start, Union actually finished the first half with a higher shooting percentage, connecting at a 50.0 percent (15 of 30) clip compared to 48.6 percent (17 of 35) for the Brewers. Tedesco and Fitzgerald led their teams with 14 points apiece over the opening 20 minutes.
 
The visitors started the second half with 10 straight points to take its first lead of the night, getting back-to-back threes by Tedesco and junior Christian Dufort followed by a Plesser jumper and two freebies by Reid to take a 47-45 lead. The game was tied at 51 apiece with 13:42 left before the Brewers scored nine of the next 11 points to regain the edge at 62-53 at the midway point of the half. Union was unable to make a dent in the deficit over the next seven minutes, as the home team hit 6-of-8 shots to keep the lead in double figures.
 
But the offensive switch flipped in the waning minutes, with Union scoring on six of its next seven possessions to get back in the game. Back-to-back baskets by Reid and classmate Matthew Garside lowered the deficit to nine (77-68) with 2:58 remaining, and the run continued with six more unanswered points for the visitors, getting back within a possession after a Tedesco off-balance jumper with 1:45 left. The teams traded free throws to keep it a three-point game with 27 ticks on the clock before a clutch Plesser put-back made it a 79-78 game. After Vassar went 1-for-2 at the line, Tedesco was fouled on the way to the hoop and calmly sunk two free throws with six seconds left to send the game to overtime.
 
Both teams finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field, but Vassar held decisive edges in three-pointers (12-5) and free throws (19-14) to pull out the win.
 
Union will finish off the weekend tomorrow with a quick trip across the river to battle with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute beginning at 4 p.m. in Troy.