This past Saturday, the Dutchmen’s basketball team lost in a close contest to Vassar, with the game’s final score being 61-55.

Vassar got off to a quick start and got off to an 8-3 lead early on in the first half. The Dutchmen responded quickly and scored 6 unanswered points, giving Union a 9-8 lead.

The game was tied 14 a piece with twelve minutes left in the first quarter. Vassar then scored six unanswered points and retook the lead in dominant fashion.

The score was now 20-14 Vassar, with Union’s offense beginning to pick up steam. Then, in similar fashion, Union’s offense went on an impressive run scoring six and holding Vassar to zero.

The game was now tied at 20 all. The game went into halftime with Vassar leading 33-28. The second half played out similarly to the first marred with an impressive defensive performance but a struggling Dutchman offense.

However, the tide seemed to be turning in the latter part of the second half. Union recovered from a seven-point deficit, and the score was an extremely close 54-53, with only 2:24 seconds left in regulation play.

The remainder of game would not be as exciting or positive for the Dutchmen. Union would complete only one more field goal and Vassar’s offense proved too much, as they made five out of their last six shots.

Despite the tough loss there were some positive notes and impressive performances for Union.

Number 11, Nate Freeman ’21, lead the team with 11 points. Freeman, an Economics Major from Sudbury, Massachusetts, ended the day with three field goals and a field goal percentage of .500.

Center Brendan Laing ’19 also finished the game with double-digit points. Laing hails from Babylon, New York and is a Biomedical Engineering Major.

Laing is also a two-time member of the Liberty league All-Academic Team, receiving the honor for both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons.

Fellow senior, Guard Kevin McNoble ’19 was the third and final Dutchman to end the game with double-digit point total.

McNoble is a Managerial Economics major from Rockville Centre, New York.

In addition to teammate Brendan Laing, he is a also a two time Liberty League All-Academic Team member, meaning he has maintained a GPA of above 3.2 for the past two seasons.

Lastly, rounding out the offensive effort for the Dutchmen was Guard Mike Manley ’22. Manley is from Pleasantville, New York, and ended the day with 4 points and a field goal.