Avitabile, who recorded his 21st career double-double, was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and helped the Brewers (3-3) claim their third consecutive Hudson Valley Shootout championship in the process.
The Brewers took control in the second half using a 13-7 surge in the first five minutes to move in front 45-37 with 15 minutes to play. The sophomore forward Matt Nunn (Lower Gwynedd, PA/Abington Friends) came off the bench and drained a three-pointer to Vassar in front 48-37 with 14:30 to play.
Vassar, who was 9-of-18 from three-point range, used its long distance shooting to maintain a double-digit lead. Sophomore guard Brian Butterworth (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) connected on a three-pointer with 12 minutes to play putting the Brewers in front 53-42.
On the defensive end the Brewers blocked a season-best 11 blocked shots and held Mount St. Mary to 31 percent from the perimeter and 9-of-37 from three-point land.
Junior guard Daniel Forcella (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth), who provided Vassar with a first half spark, finished with 15 points and career-best seven rebounds. For his efforts Forcella earned a spot on the all-tournament team. In addition, sophomore forward Joe Davis (East Amherst, NY/St. Joseph’s Institute) came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points in 15 minutes of action.
After the two teams traded the lead early, Mount St. Mary moved in front by six on a three-point field goal by junior guard Jason Cardez (Ridgewood, NY/Christ the King) at the eight-minute mark to give the Blue Knights a 23-17 advantage. Mount St. Mary maintained a six-point lead for much of the half. Vassar however caught fire late and a pair of three-pointers by Forcella helped Vassar take a 32-30 lead at the intermission.
Mount St. Mary (2-3) was led by senior guard Mike Hoyt (Florida, NY/S.S. Seward Institute) who had a game-best 28 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Sophomore forward Chris Harrison also earned a spot on the all-tournament team with two points and 10 rebounds.
Also named to the all-tournament team were senior guard John Hauser (East Williston, NY/Chaminade) of SUNY New Paltz and sophomore guard Eber Wright (Palm City, FL/John Carroll) of Bard College.
Consolation Game
The SUNY New Paltz men\'s basketball team defeated Bard 108-86 in the consolation game of Hudson Valley Shootout this evening at Vassar College.
The Hawks (2-1) received a balanced attack led by senior forward John Hauser (East Williston, NY/Chaminade) who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Tony Cannon (New York, NY/Millbrook) added 16 points and five rebounds while junior forward Amseshem Foluke-Henderson (Queens, NY/Academy for American Studies) finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
The Hawks attained their highest scoring output for a single-game in the five-year coaching career of Head Coach Doug Pasquerella. SUNY New Paltz was on the mark all game from the field shooting 57 percent (43-of-75) from the perimeter and 7-of-14 from three-point range.
In the first half, SUNY New Paltz used a 16-4 run to build a 34-23 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Hawks saw their largest lead of the half when Hauser sank a jumper with seven minutes remaining to give SUNY New Paltz a 41-28 lead. The Raptors made a run of their own late in the first half and pulled to within four points at the 1:49 mark on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Eber Wright (Palm City, FL/John Carroll) to trim the Hawks lead to 49-45. From there, SUNY New Paltz outscored Bard
8-3 the rest of the way and a three-pointer by junior guard Jimmy Sugrue (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) at the buzzer sent the Hawks into the break with a 57-48 lead.
The Raptors (0-4) made a run early in the second half and tied the game at 62 with 15 minutes to play. SUNY New Paltz however went on a 17-1 run over the next five minutes and capped their surge with a three-pointer by junior guard Victor Alvarez (Far Rockaway, NY/Beach Channel) at the 10-minute mark to make it 79-63.
Bard was led by freshman guard Greg McLean (Clinton, NY/Clinton) who had a game-best 22 points on five three-point field goals and 8-of-14 shooting. Sophomore guard Eber Wright (Palm City, FL/John Carroll) added 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting as well. Junior guard Raymond Arocho (New York, NY/Brewster) recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.