GENEVA, N.Y. -- The Hobart College basketball team trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but held visiting Skidmore College scoreless over the final 4:50 of the contest to notch a 61-54 victory. The Statesmen were led by senior guard Rob Pisanelli (Our Lady of Lourdes/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), who scored a team-high 19 points and moved into seventh place on Hobart's career scoring list with 1,172 points.

The Thoroughbreds (4-4, 0-2 UCAA) led by three at halftime (29-26) and extended their lead to 10 (52-42) with 7:51 remaining thanks in large part to junior guard Brian Culkin's (Middlebury/Braintree, Mass.) game-high 21 points. Skidmore scored just once more, a jumper by Culkin with 4:50 remaining to give the Thoroughbreds a tenuous 54-50 lead.

The Statesmen (3-3, 2-2) reclaimed the lead with 1:31 remaining on a free throw by first-year Davidek Herron (Schenectady/Schenectady, N.Y.). Herron scored six of Hobart's final 11 points and finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.

Junior guard Kevin Leonardo (Coxsackie-Athens/Coxsackie, N.Y.) also turned in a strong performance for the Statesmen scoring 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting (6-of-7 from the charity stripe) to go with three assists, three steals, and just a single turnover. First-year center Joe Corbett (Haverford School/Philadelphia, Pa.) led Hobart on the glass, collecting a game-high 14 caroms.

Both teams shot poorly from the floor with Skidmore holding a slight edge (32.1-31.7), but the Statesmen took advantage of 21 second chance opportunities. Hobart held a 49-35 advantage on the glass, while outscoring the Thoroughbreds 19-7 in second chance points.

The Statesmen return to action on Mon., Dec. 13, when they travel to New York University for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

-- HWS SPORTS --