LYNN, Mass.—For the fourth time this season, Hobart College first-year Jamal Lucas scored a season-high 23 points, but host Fisher College jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead and held on for 69-64 victory in non-conference men's basketball action.
 
Lucas' game-high effort came on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 at the free throw line. He also logged nine rebounds and a game and season-high six steals. Classmate Matt Walsh joined Lucas in double figures, making three 3-pointers on his way to a 15-point, seven-rebounds, two-block game. Sophomore Luke Ruddy narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with a team-high 10 rebounds and 8 points.
 
Tyler Shular paced the Falcons, who compete in the NAIA, with 16 points. Anthony Kellum added 13 points and Malik Wilson contributed 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Lucas scored the game's opening basket, but Fisher countered with a 23-2 run that included four 3-pointers. Hobart got its deficit down to single digits with 10 unanswered points. Walsh's 3-pointer at the 11:22 mark made it a 23-11 game.
 
First-year Justas Valciukas hit a 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the opening half to make it a 10-point game, 39-29, but Kyle Holmes and Kellum hit triples in succession and Darrell Grady's layup wrapped up the first half scoring.
 
The Falcons took a 47-29 lead into the locker room. Fisher shot 45 percent from the floor with seven 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, while limiting Hobart to 28 percent shooting. The Falcons had a 33-17 rebounding edge at halftime on the way to a 55-43 advantage. Shular led all scorers with 15 first half points.
 
Fisher led by as many as 21 early in the second half before the Statesmen rallied. Hobart used a 21-4 run to close the gap to just 4 with five minutes remaining. Lucas, Drescher, and Walsh hit 3-pointers during the surge; the latter also converted a traditional 3-point play.
 
The Falcons (7-7) entered the final three minutes with an 8-point lead, but 7 straight points by the visitors made it a 1-point game. Lucas accounted for 5 of those points, including an old school 3-point play with 40 seconds to go to make the score 65-64.
 
Hobart fouled Shular with 25 seconds remaining, but the senior missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Walsh secured the rebound for the Statesmen. Lucas put up a shot with 12 seconds left, but it was off the mark and Fisher was able to put the game away at the free throw line.
 
The Statesmen shot 38 percent from the floor in the second half and limited the Falcons to just 25 percent shooting. Hobart had a 26-22 edge on the glass after halftime. Lucas produced 16 points, eight rebounds, and four steals in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Statesmen (4-7) will conclude their eight-game road trip with a Liberty League weekend in the North Country. Hobart will play at St. Lawrence on Jan. 15 and at Clarkson the following afternoon.