GENEVA, N.Y. -- The Hobart College basketball team avenged an early season overtime loss to Clarkson University with a 90-78 victory in Bristol Gym this evening. Senior Rob Pisanelli (Our Lady of Lourdes/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) led the way with a game-high 29 points.

It was a nip-n-tuck battle in the first half with neither team able to take more than a four point advantage, until the Statesmen (7-8, 3-3 UCAA) used a 12-0 run to take a 35-24 lead with 3:48 remaining in the opening frame. Sophomore Michael Gambino (Our Lady of Lourdes/Hyde Park, N.Y.) and first-year Joe Corbett (Haverford School/Philadelphia, N.Y.) keyed the run. Gambino scored eight of his 17 points on a pair of three-pointers and a layup, while Corbett added the other four points. Corbett finished with his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high matching 16 rebounds.

In the second half, Hobart led by as many as 17 before the Golden Knights (7-7, 2-3) whittled the Statesmen lead down to five (68-63) with 3:53 remaining. Hobart used an 8-0 spurt to push the lead back into double digits and never led by less than nine the rest of the way.

The Statesmen got another strong performance out of junior point guard Kevin Leonardo (Coxsackie-Athens/Coxsackie, N.Y.), who contributed 11 points and seven assists, while senior Josh Ryan (Homer/Homer, N.Y.) added nine points, seven rebounds, and four blocked shots. First-year Davidek Herron (Schenectady/ Schenectady, N.Y.) contributed seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Senior Ashton Fritz (Pitman, N.J.) led Clarkson with 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting. First-year Lee Roes (Lowville, N.Y.) and Josh Ordoway (Bath, N.Y.) added 14 points each.

The Statesmen return to action at 4 p.m., on Sat., Jan. 22, when they host St. Lawrence University.

-- HWS SPORTS --