ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The No. 25 Hobart College basketball team held off a determined Bard College squad to earn a program record 14th consecutive win, 82-72, this afternoon. The Statesmen improved to 20-3 overall, marking the sixth 20-win season in Hobart history.
 
The Statesmen (15-1 Liberty League) got a 20 points from both junior Jamal Lucas and first-year Dan Masino. Masino also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and collected a game-high three steals. Junior Colin Dougherty added 16 points, including a 10-of-12 effort at the free throw line.
 
The Raptors (7-16, 5-11) put four players in double figures. Alijah Rue led the way with a game-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers. Jelani Bell Isaac added 17 points and 10 rebounds. David Runcie and Justyn Rogers both scored 12 points.
 
Hobart shot 44 percent from the floor while Bard managed just 38 percent. The Raptors stayed in contact by sinking 10 3-pointers while the Statesmen managed just three triples. Hobart won the game at the free throw line, making more free throws (23) than Bard attempted (20). The Raptors didn't do themselves any favors when they did get to the line, connecting on just 60 percent.
 
After Bell Isaac gave Bard a 5-3 lead, Hobart seized the lead for good, scoring 13 straight points. Lucas led the way with five points. The Statesmen pushed their lead to as many as 14 in the first half, taking a 23-9 lead on a Lucas layup with less than nine minutes remaining.
 
Rogers scored the final seven points of the half to cut the Raptors deficit to 31-27 heading into halftime. Lucas led all scorers with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes.
 
In the second half, Hobart struggled to shake Bard. The Statesmen led by seven after Masino's jumper at the 11:44 mark.
 
Over the next three minutes, Hobart went scoreless with three turnovers while the Raptors scored six points, closing to within one, 51-50, on a Rue 3-pointer.
 
Dougherty converted a layup at the other end of the floor and Hobart Head Coach Tim Sweeney called a full timeout. The quick basket and break in the action settled the Statesmen, who returned to the floor and outscored their hosts 17-6 over the next four minutes. Masino and six points and sophomore Sam Allen added five points during the run that gave Hobart a 70-56 lead with four minutes remaining.
 
Rue tied to single handedly pull his team back into the game, scoring 11 of the Raptors' next 12 points, making it a 74-68 game with 1:44 left. The Statesmen scored five straight points to push their lead back into double digits with 36 seconds remaining to ice the win.
 
Hobart's 14-game winning streak began on Jan. 5 with a 75-64 win over RIT. The streak surpassed the previous mark of 13 established during the 2012-13 season.
 
The Statesmen will close out the regular season at home, hosting Vassar (8-15, 7-9) on Friday, Feb. 16 and Union (14-8, 10-6) on Saturday, Feb. 17.