SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The Hobart College basketball team closed its game at Skidmore College on a 19-5 run to secure a 64-52 Liberty League victory this afternoon. The Statesmen improved to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference while the Thoroughbreds slip to 8-5, 6-1.
 
Hobart, which has won five of their past six games, shot 46.9 percent from the floor, including 10-of-19 from 3-point range. Defensively, they held Skidmore to its lowest scoring total of the season. The Thoroughbreds shot just 32.1 percent from the floor.
 
Although the Statesmen trailed by as many as nine in the first half, they were able to whittle that deficit down to just two by halftime. The second half was hotly contested. Until Hobart went on its closing run, neither team led by more than five points in the final 20 minutes.
 
Ty Lamport connected from 3-point land with just under eight minutes to go for a 47-45 Skidmore lead. The Thoroughbreds made just one more field goal in the game. Hobart tied the game on a dunk by junior forward Edens Fleurizard, who factored heavily into the finishing run. He scored eight of his 10 points in the game in the final seven minutes.
 
Skidmore reclaimed the lead with a pair of free throws by Noah Meren, but junior guard Tucker Lescoe responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Statesmen in front for good. Fleurizard made it a six-point game on a tip-in, but Jack Byrne halved Hobart's lead with a triple, but the Statesmen didn't allow another point over the final 4:20.
 
Fleurizard and Dougherty each contributed four points over the next three minutes to stretch the Hobart lead to 63-52 with just over a minute to go.
 
Dougherty was the game's leading scorer, making 10 of his 13 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 at the line. He also dished out a season-high six assists. Lescoe added 11 points with three triples. Senior Jamal Lucas grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the Statesmen to a 38-31 advantage on the glass. All 10 Hobart players that entered the game had at least one rebound.
 
Meren had a team-high 15 points for Skidmore.
 
Hobart will return to Bristol Gym on Friday, Jan. 18, to host Clarkson (3-11, 2-5). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.