GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College basketball team used a stout defense and a balanced offense to defeat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 67-52 in Bristol Gym tonight. The Statesmen improved to 8-5 overall, 3-1 in the Liberty League, while the Engineers slipped to 9-5, 3-2.
 
Sophomore Colin Dougherty paced the Statesmen with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Classmate Jamal Lucas added 10 points and three steals. Sophomore Matt Walsh chipped in seven points and a game-high nine rebounds. First-year forward Matt Walsh scored nine points, all from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half, and collected six boards.
 
RPI got a game-high 17 points from sophomore guard Tom Horvat. He was 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Andreas Kontopidis scored 12 points.
 
Both teams held seven-point leads in the first half. Asa Barnhill hit a 3-pointer about seven minutes into the game to give the visitors a 12-5 lead. As the clock ticked under six minutes, the Engineers were still clinging to a 21-19 lead, but then the Hobart Class of 2020 splashed three straight triples to put the Statesmen up seven. Allen connected from deep twice to start the run and then first-year guard Tucker Lescoe followed to give the home team a 28-21 lead.
 
Hobart owned a 31-25 lead going into the locker room at halftime. Allen led all scorers through 20 minutes with his nine points.
 
Horvat nailed a 3-pointer early in the second half to get RPI within three, 33-30, but the Statesmen responded with four consecutive layups by four different players to stretch their lead to 11. The Engineers narrowed their deficit to single digits four times down the stretch, but each time Hobart countered with a basket that restored its double-digit lead.
 
The Statesmen shot 49 percent from the field on the night and sank 7-of-10 free throws, while holding RPI to its lowest scoring total of the season. Hobart enjoyed a 34-29 advantage on the glass, and committed one fewer turnover. RPI shot 35 percent from the field and was 7-of-13 at the line.
 
Hobart will host Skidmore on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m. in Bristol Gym. RPI will also play tomorrow at 4 p.m., visiting RIT.