Head coach Tom Murphy, who is in his 34th year at Hamilton, has 598 wins in his career. The Continentals have won three straight games and improved to 7-4 in the conference. Hamilton, which is 15-6 overall, is in sole possession of third place in the conference standings with three game remaining. Four teams make the conference playoffs. The Brewers remained winless in 10 games in the conference and are 4-17 overall.
Smith was 9-for-11 from the field. He also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded three steals. Tsakane Ngobeni came off the bench to score 14 points and block three shots. Tim Welchons added 10 points and four assists off the bench. C.J. Cantil scored six points, handed out five assists and was credited with five steals. The Continentals forced 24 turnovers and shot a season-high 63 percent from the field.
Jud Winton led Vassar with 14 points. Matt Williams scored 11 first-half points, dished out four assists and made two steals. The Brewers made 12 of 23 three-point attempts (52 percent), but shot just 35 percent (19-for-54) from the field overall.
Hamilton trailed 17-15 midway through the first half before going on a 13-0 run to take a 28-17 lead with 5:11 left in the half. The Continentals led 41-27 at halftime and the advantage grew to 20 points at 57-37 on a Welchons’ three-pointer with 15:40 left in the game. Vassar didn’t get within 20 points the rest of the way.
Hamilton will host Rensselaer in another conference game on Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. It will be the last regular season home game for Murphy, who is retiring at the end of the season.