ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Hobart College senior Colin Dougherty made a 3-pointer just over four minutes into tonight's Liberty League men's basketball game at Bard College that gave the Statesmen their first lead of the night, a lead they didn't relinquish on the way to a 76-68 victory over the Raptors.
 
Hobart won for the fourth time in its past five outings to improve to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in the league. The Statesmen grabbed a season-high 45 rebounds while limiting Bard to .362 shooting. Sophomore guard Jack Lesure collected a game-high nine rebounds and shared game-high honors with three steals. Junior forward Edens Fleurizard contributed five blocked shots to the Raptors' shooting woes in addition to nine points and six boards.
 
Dougherty paced the Statesmen offense with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Seniors Jamal Lucas and Sean McKinless also reached double digits in the scoring column. Lucas posted 15 points as well as eight boards and McKinless scored 10 points, all in the second half.
 
After trailing early in the game, Lucas sank a three to tie knot the game at 7-all and a short time later Dougherty hit from deep to put the visitors in front. Hobart led by as many as 10, 25-15 following a 3-pointer by Lesure, before taking a 37-31 advantage into the break.
 
In the second half, Bard had its best chance to reclaim the lead in the first two minutes. Senior Armando Dunn scored the Raptors' first seven points of the half, making it a one-point game, 39-38. Bard's next shot was its lone shot of the final 20 minutes that could have reclaimed the lead, but Fleurizard swatted the attempt and Hobart scored the game's next five points to get some breathing room.
 
Dunn was one of four Raptors in double figures. He scored 15 points. Sophomore Alijah Rue logged team-highs of 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore Justyn Rogers added 14 points and senior Jelani Bell-Isaac had 10 points.
 
The Statesmen seized their largest lead of the game on an 11-0 run midway through the second half. First-year Matt Kitzman (8 pts) put the finishing touch on the scoring burst, draining a 3-pointer for a 64-48 lead. From that point on, Hobart didn't let its lead dip below seven points.
 
The Statesmen are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 12, when they travel to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to take on Skidmore (8-4, 6-0). Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.