Statesmen cagers earn 1st conference win
19 January 2009 Statesmen cagers earn 1st conference win
The Hobart basketball team used suffocating defensive pressure in the first half to pull away from Vassar and held off a charge by the Brewers early in the second frame on the way to a 68-53 Liberty League victory. The Statesmen snapped a five-game slide to improve to 4-10, 1-2 in the conference, while Vassar falls to 5-8, 0-2.
Hobart limited the visitors to just 18.5 percent shooting in the first half, while the Statesmen knocked down half of their shots to build a 40-23 lead at the break. The Statesmen took control late in the opening stanza with a 29-4 run that erased a four-point Vassar lead. First-year forward Adam Salzmann added six points on a pair of threes and finished with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Hobart led 40-23 at halftime.
Vassar refused to go down without a fight, opening the half on a 10-2 run to creep within six, 42-36, with 14:04 remaining. Senior guard Brian Butterworth drained back-to-back threes to spark the run. He finished with a team-high 12 points.
Salzmann and Butterworth traded baskets to raise the score to 44-38 with 10:52 to go. Hobart then scored five straight points to increase its lead to 11 and pushed its lead into double digits for good on a three by Pebole at the 6:02 mark.
Sophomore guardMark Brucejoined Pebole and Salzmann in double figures with 12 points and a game-high six assists.
Joe Davis and Casey Black notched 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Brewers.
Hobart is back in action at 8 p.m. on Jan. 23, when the Statesmen host Skidmore, while Vassar returns to the hardwood at 8 p.m. on Jan. 20, when the Brewers host RPI.