GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College basketball team handed the University of Rochester its first loss of the season 57-53 in Bristol Gym tonight. The Statesmen dominated the boards and made clutch free throws in the final minute to close out the victory.
 
Hobart (3-1) outrebounded Rochester 48-31 with a balanced effort on the glass. Senior Edens Fleurizard, senior Tucker Lescoe, and sophomore Jackson Meshanic shared team-high honors with six caroms each. Meshanic was the leading scorer in the game with 12 points. Sophomore Dan Masino added 11 points and shared game-high honors with Lescoe with four assists.
 
Junior Kailan Lee paced the Yellowjackets (5-1) with 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, elevating the drama. Sophomore Ross Gang contributed 10 points. Junior Ryan Algier grabbed a team-high six boards to go with nine points.
 
After a tightly contested first half that saw neither team lead by more than seven points, Hobart threatened to break the game wide open by starting the second half on a 14-6 run. Fleurizard started it off by throwing down a two-handed dunk and first-year Daniel Cook and junior Jack Lesure each made 3-pointers as the Statesmen turned a 28-24 halftime lead into a 42-30 lead midway through the second half.
 
Rochester countered with nine straight points. Lee's 3-pointer with just under eight minutes left made it a 3-point game. It stayed that way for over three minutes as both offenses struggled. Hobart snapped out of its funk first, scoring six straight points to go up nine with under four minutes left.
 
UR's drought stretched on for more than four minutes, but the visitors kept fighting, twice closing the gap to a single possession in the final minute. The Statesmen were able to hold off the Yellowjackets by going 7-of-8 at the free throw line in the final 32 seconds.
 
Hobart returns to the court to host St. John Fisher (4-2) at 7 p.m. on Dec. 3.