GENEVA, N.Y.—Clarkson University earned 23 second half foul shots, making 18, and that proved to be the difference tonight as the Golden Knights defeated Hobart College 66-56 in a Liberty League men's basketball game in Bristol Gym tonight.
 
Clarkson (8-2, 1-0) finished the night 19-of-25 at the charity stripe while the Statesmen got just seven free throw attempts and made just three. The remainder of the game's stats were relatively even. The Golden Knights had a slim 36-34 edge in rebounding and committed one fewer turnover than Hobart. The Statesmen made one more field goal and four more 3-pointers.
 
The visitors were led by senior forward John Coleman's 25 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three blocked shots. Junior guard Felix Abongo added 14 points and sophomore forward Derek Hart contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots.
 
Hobart senior guard Connor Rehbaum paced the home team with 17 points. Senior guard Trey Blanding chipped in 10 points. Junior forward Domonique Petty-Fernander grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in 12 minutes of action.
 
Hobart (5-5, 0-1) trailed 11-10 seven minutes into the game, but used an 18-4 surge to build the largest lead of the game for either side, 28-15 with 4:49 to go in the first half. Sophomore guards Pete Drescher and Thomas Campion hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the run and Rehbaum scored six consecutive points late in the run.
 
Clarkson fought back, finishing the half on a 14-4 run to whittle its deficit down to just one. Coleman's tip-in at the buzzer sent the team's into the break with Hobart leading 32-31.
 
Early in the second half, the score was tied five times with neither team able to gain enough traction to lead by more than a single possession. Clarkson was the first to get its offense and defense in sync, scoring eight straight points from four different players to build a 51-44 lead by the 6:26 mark. Senior guard Andrew Hoy made it a 4-point game twice over the next minute of play, but CU put the game away at the foul line, making 11-of-14 down the stretch.
 
Hobart returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Statesmen host St. Lawrence. The Golden Knights will continue their road trip at RIT tomorrow. Both games will start at 4 p.m.