Kieffer netted 10 of his 13 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds as well in 27 minutes off the bench to key the Brewers to a 2-0 weekend. Sophomore forward Lawrence Avitabile (Southington, CT/Southington) also finished in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
"I thought we played well and better than last evening against St. Joseph's," said Avitabile, the 2005 Liberty League Rookie of the Year. "It was a physical game and we handled the pressure and knocked down shots.?
Vassar (2-0) used a 14-5 spurt early in the second half to open up a 50-36 lead with 12:20 to play. The Brewers made 8-of-11 shots from the perimeter during their second half surge and shot 47 percent from the field for the game.
Junior guard David Williams (Hartford, CT/Watkinson) paced the Blazers with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Williams earned a spot on the all-tournament team along with sophomore forward Renato Lindmets (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) who added nine points and eight rebounds. Lindmets tried to bring his team back from a 15-point deficit hitting a shot with four minutes to go to cut the Vassar lead to 60-53. However, the Blazers turned the ball over on their next three possessions and the Brewers sealed the game away with an 18-of-23 effort at the foul line.
Vassar College started the game strong taking an 11-2 lead in the first five minutes of the contest following a three-point field goal by freshman guard Brian Butterworth (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham). Elms chipped away at the Brewers lead and pulled to within a point at 17-16 following a lay up by sophomore guard Randy Hite (Hartford, CT/A.I. Prince Tech).
Despite the loss of Avitabile who picked up two early fouls and played only seven first half minutes, the Brewers received scoring from nine different players in the first 20 minutes. Freshman guard Lenny Holt (Watertown, MA/Watertown) gave the Brewers a lift with seven points off the bench including a three-pointer that put Vassar ahead 22-18 with 4:28 left in the half.
"I was impressed with how the freshman stepped up in the last two games," said senior guard Will Byrne (Chelmsford, MA/Concord Academy). "Tyson (Brazell) and Lawrence (Avitabile) carried us but everyone played smart."
Brazell also keyed Vassar with five points late in the half to help the Brewers carry a 36-27 lead into the intermision.
2005 Vassar College Invitational All-Tournament Team: MVP: Lawrence Avitabile (Vassar), Tyson Brazell (Vassar), David Williams (Elms), Ranato Lindmets (Elms),Quinton Spencer (Oberlin), Marcus Alexander (St .Joseph's).
The Brewers return to action on Tuesday, November 22 when they play Bard College in the opening round of the Mid-Hudson Shootout at SUNY New Paltz.
Elms College vs VASSAR 11/19/05 3:00 pm at Poughkeepsie, NY At Poughkeepsie, NY VASSAR 69, ELMS COLLEGE 58 ELMS COLLEGE (1-1) David Williams 6-12 2-4 15; Renato Lindmets 4-9 1-4 9; Randy Hite 4-6 0-2 8; Nathan Hawes 1-2 5-9 7; Lonnie Branyon III 3-8 1-2 7; Antoine Holder 1-7 2-5 4; Anthony Bernard 2-3 0-1 4; Ellis Jones 2-3 0-1 4; Derek Murphy, Jr. 0-1 0-0 0; Jacque Rivera 0-1 0-0 0; Justin Davis 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 11-28 58. VASSAR (2-0) William Kieffer 4-8 5-6 13; Tyson Brazell 5-6 2-2 13; Lawrence Avitabile 4-9 2-4 10; Brian Butterworth 2-2 2-2 8; Joe Davis 3-5 2-2 8; Lenny Holt 2-4 2-2 7; Daniel Forcella 2-6 1-3 6; Evan Hannay 1-2 2-2 4; Tom Driscoll 0-2 0-0 0; Rob Dauster 0-1 0-0 0; Will Byrne 0-4 0-0 0; Kyle Mangus 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-49 18-23 69. Elms College.................. 27 31 - 58 VASSAR........................ 36 33 - 69 3-point goals-Elms College 1-13 (David Williams 1-4; Renato Lindmets 0-2; Antoine Holder 0-2; Derek Murphy, Jr. 0-1; Justin Davis 0-4), VASSAR 5-13 (Brian Butterworth 2-2; Tyson Brazell 1-1; Daniel Forcella 1-3; Lenny Holt 1-1; Rob Dauster 0-1; Will Byrne 0-4; Lawrence Avitabile 0-1). Fouled out--Elms College-Renato Lindmets, VASSAR-None. Rebounds-Elms College 32 (Renato Lindmets 8), VASSAR 40 (William Kieffer 10). Assists-Elms College 5 (David Williams 4), VASSAR 12 (Tyson Brazell 3). Total fouls-Elms College 23, VASSAR 22.