Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The Rensselaer basketball team made seven of eight free throws in the final 34 seconds of play to eke out a 71-68 Liberty League victory at Hobart tonight. The Red Hawks improve to 7-5 overall, 1-0 in the conference, while the Statesmen slip to 3-10, 0-2.

Hobart sophomore guard Mark Bruce (Fairport/Fairport, N.Y.) led three Hobart players in double figures with 17 points and a game-high seven steals, one off the Hobart game-record. Sophomore guard Tim Llewellyn (West York/York, Pa.) and first-year forward Matt Pebole (Red Bank/Little Silver, N.J.) chipped in 14 points and six rebounds each.

Rensselaer got a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Tim Rupp (Curtis/Staten Island, N.Y.). Senior forward Sam Simmons (Newburgh Free Academy/Newburgh, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Mike Brion (Bishop Guertin/Nashua, N.H.) added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The Red Hawks dominated the glass, outrebounding the Statesmen 48-29, and made their free throws when it counted most. RPI was 5-10 from the charity stripe in the first 39 minutes of the contest before senior guard Rory Perner (Haverford School/Elkins Park, Pa.) (5-for-6) and Simmons (2-2) iced the win.

A tight contest from start to finish, neither team led by more than seven points. Hobart grabbed a 33-26 advantage on a Pebole three with 63 seconds left in the first half, but back-to-back buckets by Simmons and Rupp cut the Statesmen lead to 33-30 at the half.

Early in the second half, a 10-0 RPI run, including eight from Rupp, put the visitors in front 46-39 with 13:44 to play. Hobart refused to go away, battling back to reclaim the lead, 55-53, on a Bruce layup at the 7:04 mark. The Red Hawks went back in front on a Brion three and a layup by Perner (9 pts), a lead they would not relinquish.

Hobart is back in action tomorrow, Jan. 17, when the Statesmen host Vassar, while Rensselaer will travel to Hamilton tomorrow. Both games will tip off at 2 p.m.