Utica, NY – The UC men's basketball team battled Vassar College in the Championship game of the Utica College Basketball Classic on Sunday. The visiting Brewers walked away champions, defeating the Pioneers 92-88.
 
Sophomore Shawn Gashi (Central Square, NY/Bishop Grimes) finished 11-for-19 from the field on his way to recording a career-high 28 points. Avery Coston (Kerhonkson, NY/Rondout Valley) tallied 21 points and eight rebounds, hitting four shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Justin Strielkauskas (Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross) and Kobe Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) each scored double-digits, posting 12 and 11 points respectively.
 
Vassar College got out to an early lead, as the team shot nearly 65% from the floor in the first half. Alex Suff made four shots from long range to spark the early advantage. The Brewers would go on to earn a 20-point lead over UC with 7:15 remaining until halftime. Utica entered the locker room facing a 13-point deficit, trailing 52-39 at the half.
 
The Pioneers came out swinging in the opening minutes of the second half, cutting the Vassar lead to single digits just 1:41 into the period. The teams began to trade blows, until Utica went on a 10-2 run making the score 62-58 with Vassar's lead narrowing. The contest stayed tight all the way through the finish line, as UC looked to complete the comeback. However, the Pioneers were not able to get over the hump as they lost by four points.
 
Gashi led the team with 28 points, as he led UC's comeback effort in the second half. Tyler Jollie (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) scored five points off the bench and made two steals down the stretch to aide Utica's comeback bid. The team shot 50% from the field in the contest and made 41.7% of its shots from 3-point territory. The loss pushes Utica's record to 6-3 overall on the season.
 
Vassar was led by Alex Seff's 27 points, as he made six 3-point shots in the contest. Paul Grinde came up just shy of a double-double, finishing with 21 points, nine boards, and five assists. The Brewer's bench outscored UC's bench, 28-12 in the game. Vassar improves to 5-5 overall on the year.
 
The Pioneers will return to action on January 4^th, as they will travel to begin conference play against Sage. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.