SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—Sophomore
Colin Dougherty scored a game-high 26 points to lead fourth-seeded Hobart College to a 70-65 upset of top-seeded Skidmore College in the Liberty League Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals tonight. The Statesmen improved to 16-10, while the Thoroughbreds drop to 19-7.
Hobart will face third-seeded Union College (15-10) in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Schenectady. The Dutchmen upset second-seeded St. Lawrence 110-108 in double overtime.
Dougherty's ninth game with 20 or more points this season came on 7-of-13 shooting, 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 8-of-9 at the free throw line. First-year
Tucker Lescoe added 12 points and a team-high three assists and senior
Pete Drescher scored 10 points. Junior
Luke Ruddy grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with seven points. Hobart enjoyed a 48-39 advantage on the glass.
Skidmore put four players in double figures led by Edvinas Rupkus' 19 points. Royce Paris contributed 16 points. Aldin Medunjanin had a double-double on 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Jack Morrow also scored 12 points.
Medunjanin's layup with less than four minutes remaining in the first half, gave the Thoroughbreds a 20-19 lead. It was their final advantage of the night. Dougherty splashed a 3-pointer at the other end of the floor to put the Statesmen ahead for good.
Hobart led 30-27 at halftime. Lescoe, Rupkus and Morrow all had nine points at the break. The Statesmen shot 33 percent and Skidmore shot 34 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Hobart shot better in the second half, upping its percentage to 41 percent while holding the Thoroughbreds to 32 percent shooting.
The Statesmen opened the second half on a tear, scoring the first 11 points. Ruddy and first-year
Sam Allen started the run with back-to-back layups followed by back-to-back 3-pointers by Dougherty who also threw in a free throw for good measure, stretching Hobart's lead to 41-27.
Skidmore was able to chip away at its deficit, closing the gap to two on a pair of free throws by Rupkus with 88 seconds left. Drescher drained a triple to put the visitors up by five with 74 seconds left. Paris made a layup to get it back to a three-point game, but Hobart went 6-for-6 at the free throw line to close out the win.
The Statesmen are returning to the Liberty League Championship for the first time since 2014 when they defeated Vassar 75-74 in double overtime in the title game.
