Box Score CARLISLE, Pa.—The Hobart basketball team led by nine points with four minutes to play, but Alfred rallied for a 57-55 victory in the championship game of the Pizza Hut Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Dickinson College. The Saxons improved to 3-1, while the Statesmen slipped to 1-2.

A tight contest from start to finish, neither team led by more than seven points in the first 35 minutes of the game. Adam Salzmann's three-pointer broke a 44-all game and launched Hobart on a 9-0 run. Mark Bruce sank a pair of free throws with 4:14 remaining to give the Statesmen a 53-44 lead.

Alfred scored five straight points to get within four, 53-49, with 2:40 left on the clock. Matt Pebole interrupted the run with a layup at 2:16, but Ron Smith halved his team's deficit with a three. The Statesmen tried to answer with a triple of their own, but the shot was off the mark and Gary Kwiecien grabbed the rebound for the Saxons and drained a three with 68 seconds left to forge the 10th and final tie of the game.

Kwiecien collected another rebound off a Hobart miss with 32 seconds to go and Jared Patt hit the game-winner with 17 ticks remaining. The Statesmen took a shot to tie, but Smith blocked it to secure the win.

Pebole led Hobart with 13 points and five rebounds, while Bruce added 12 points. Mike Stopera paced Alfred with a game-high 16 points and five assists, while Patt and Smith added 15 and 10 points, respectively. Patt also corralled a game-high nine rebounds.

The Statesmen are back in action on Nov. 24, when they visit Geneseo. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.