The Brewers, winners of four straight, improve to 5-3 on the season and host Hartwick College on Tuesday. SUNY Purchase falls to 2-8.
The Panthers managed to stay within striking distance for much of the first half, despite being out-rebounded 24-10. A Warren Walters (Croton, NY/Fox Lane) three-pointer with 8:49 remaining in the half brought the Panthers within three but Purchase would not score again for nearly four minutes. An 18-6 Brewer run in the final eight minutes of the half gave Vassar a 39-24 lead at intermission. Avitabile netted nine points in the final nine minutes of the first period to help his team establish its lead. Avitabile had 15 first-half points to go with five rebounds and three blocks.
Vassar quickly increased its lead in the beginning of the second half, as Davis netted four quick points in the opening minute. Avitabile forced a Purchase timeout 2:26 into the half after slicing through the lane to lay the ball in and give the Brewers a 45-24 lead. The Panthers never managed to close the gap within 20 points following Avitabile's lay-up and were unable to find an answer to Vassar's dominance on the boards. The Brewers out-rebounded the Panthers 57-24 in the game, most crucially on the offensive glass, where the Brewers managed a 19-6 advantage.
Michael Wimmer (Woodmere, NY/G.W. Hewlett) provided a bright spot for the Panthers in the second half, netting all of his 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the three-point line, including a four-point play after being fouled on a shot well behind the arc. Warren Walters led the Panthers with 14 points, while Justin Walters (Tarrytown, NY/Stepinac) contributed 11 points.
Along with his game-high 21 points, Avitabile had nine rebounds and four blocks, while Davis added eight rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Sophomore Brian Butterworth (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) added 11 points and three assists, junior Tyson Brazell (Salt Lake City, UT/Waterford) netted ten points, and senior Tom Driscoll (West Warwick, RI/West Warwick) added eight points off the bench.