The Hobart College basketball team shot a season's best 55 percent from the field en route to an 80-59 defeat of Nazareth College in the semifinals of the Wendy's College Classic at the University of Rochester's Louis A. Alexander Palestra.

The Statesmen (3-2) came out firing as sophomore guard Connor Rehbaum opened the scoring at the 19:17 mark with a 3-pointer that was followed by a Joe Gibbons jumper for a 5-0 run to start the game. Nazareth was down only two with 13:47 remaining in the half after a Mitch Ford layup, but Hobart answered with eight unanswered points to give the Statesmen a 16-7 lead.

Nazareth's next best opportunity to cut the lead came late in the first half after Brad Ford banked in a layup at the 4:03 mark to cut the deficit to just five, but Hobart answered with another 8-0 run, as Connor Rehbaum sank a 3-pointer in between Stefan Thompson and Sean Peer layups to finish the half ahead 38-26. The 12-point lead at the half was the Statesmen's largest lead of the first half.

Hobart shot 55 percent from the floor, including four of eleven from beyond the arc. Nazareth shot just over 48 percent from the floor, but failed to score a point in the final 4:02 of the half.

The Statesmen came out strong again to start the second half. Gibbons fired off five unanswered to start the Statesmen, who led by 17 at the 17:54 mark. Tyshun Stephens answered with a layup and two made free throws, but the Statesmen responded with another run of their own. Hobart used baskets from Thompson, first-year forward Cole Smothers, and junior forward Richie Bonney to open up a 6-0 run, while holding Nazareth scoreless for nearly three and a half minutes.

From there, the Hobart rout was on. Senior guard Rezin Davis made a 3-pointer, and on the next play, stole the basketball, and took it coast-to-coast for a layup, sparking the beginning of another long 10-point run for the Statesmen. At 11:19, the Statesmen led by 29, their largest total of the day.

Nazareth refused to concede, holding Hobart scoreless for a span of 5:34 to spark an 11-0 run of their own. The Golden Flyers managed to cut the deficit to 18, but never got it below 17 in the second half. 

Hobart's ball movement was critical to their shooting success. The Statesmen handed out 24 assists and committed just five turnovers.

Bonney led all scorers with a game-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Gibbons chipped in 13 points and Davis added another nine points off the bench to help seal the victory. Peer led all Hobart players on the glass with 10 rebounds.

For the Golden Flyers, Tyshun Stevens led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds. Dan Waldbillig added another 13 points off the bench and Mitch Ford scored 10 points to round out the leading scorers for Nazareth.

Hobart will face Rochester in the Wendy's Classic Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. Nazareth will take on St. John Fisher in the third place game on the same day at 3 p.m. Both games will be held at the University of Rochester's Louis A. Alexander Palestra.

GAME NOTES

After finishing the opening game with 11 assists, Stefan Thompson added another four tonight. His 15 assists in the tournament have eclipsed his 2011 tournament high of 13 ... Including this season, Hobart has reached the Wendy's College Classic Championship game six times. The Statesmen won their lone Wendy's title last year 72-63 against Nazareth ... Under Coach Neer, Hobart is 13-3 when shooting over 50 percent from the floor.