GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College basketball team never trailed in a 75-53 Liberty League win over Union College in Bristol Gym tonight. The Statesmen extended their winning streak to a league-best six games and handed the Dutchmen their first loss of the season.
Hobart (7-1, 3-0) was led by senior
Tucker Lescoe's game-high 21 points. He was 6-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc and added a 3-of-5 effort at the free throw line. He raised his career scoring total to 1,115 points to move into 19th place on Hobart's all-time list, passing Colby Feane '06 and Mike Manning '07. With his six 3-pointers, Lescoe upped his career total to 234, 11 away from breaking Michael Gambino's career mark.
Lescoe was joined in double figures by a trio of teammates. Senior
Edens Fleurizard posted a double-double on 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, leading Hobart to a 52-29 advantage on the glass. It's the fifth straight game the Statesmen have outrebounded the opposition by double digits. Sophomore
Jackson Meshanic also scored 12 points. Sophomore
Dan Masino chipped in 11 points and five rebounds. First-year
Daniel Cook nearly added a double-double, logging nine points and nine boards.
Union, which came into the game with a 4-0 record averaging 83.3 points per game, had just one double digit scorer. Junior Andrew Laub scored 13 points. Junior Rhona Eseyade finished with six points, five rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots.
Hobart charged out of the gate, scoring the game's first six points and racing out to a 27-7 lead with nine minutes remaining in the opening half. The Statesmen connected on 9-of-14 during the opening run, while limiting Union to 3-of-12 shooting. Masino and Lynch led the way with six points apiece.
A short time later, Hobart pushed its advantage to 24 with a seven-point burst. Fleurizard started the run with a layup followed by a Lescoe 3-pointer. Fleurizard closed it with a pair of free throws.
Union was able to narrow the gap with a 10-3 run to end the half, heading into the break trailing 37-20.
Fleurizard, Lescoe, and Masino shared the halftime scoring lead with eight points apiece. Hobart limited the Dutchmen to just 18.5 percent shooting in the first half.
Union (4-1, 2-1) came out of the locker room fired up and threatened to make a game of it. The Dutchmen used a 19-10 run to trim their 17-point halftime deficit down to eight with 11 minutes remaining. The Statesmen quelled the threat with the game's next nine points. Masino's jumper with about nine and a half minutes left gave Hobart a 56-39 lead. The Statesmen maintained a double digit lead from that point on, extending their advantage to as many as 27.
The game was Hobart's final contest of the calendar year. Following a break for final exams and the holidays, the Statesmen will return to action on Jan. 4, when they face Ursinus in the first round of the College Park Holiday Inn Tournament hosted by Catholic University.
Union has an 18-day layoff before facing Lycoming on Dec. 28 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated on Dec. 12 to correct
Tucker Lescoe's career totals. A game from earlier in the month was missing from the database. I apologize to readers for the oversight. -KD
