GENEVA, N.Y. -- The Rochester Institute of Technology men's basketball team spoiled the Hobart College Statesmen's season opener with a 96-69 victory in Bristol Gym. The Tigers improve to 1-0, while the Statesmen fall to 0-1.

Hobart trailed 26-24 with 4:40 remaining in the first half, when RIT used an 8-2 spurt to extend its lead to eight on its way to a 41-31 halftime advantage. The Tigers couldn't shake the Statesmen until late in the final frame, outscoring their hosts 22-8 over the last 5:30 of the contest.

First-year forward Davidek Herron (Schenectady/Schenectady, N.Y.) led Hobart with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Rob Pisanelli (Our Lady of Lourdes/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) added 13 points. Pisanelli passed Derek Dominici '87 on the Statesmen's career scoring list, raising his total to 1,062 points, six points shy of Art Lambert '58. Hobart also got strong play from first-year guard Tim Lomot (Amityville Memorial/Amityville, N.Y.) who contributed a game-high seven assists to go with six points.

Junior guard Kalonji Butler (Spencerport/Rochester, N.Y.) led RIT with 19 points, while junior forward Rob Hagemann (Altoona Area/Watertown, N.Y.) added 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

The Statesmen return to action on Fri., Dec. 3, traveling to St. Lawrence for an 8 p.m., tip-off.

--HWS SPORTS--