POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—Less than 24 hours removed from a grinding, physical game at Rensselaer, the Hobart College basketball team was back in action, visiting Vassar College. The Statesmen used their trademark stingy defense to top the Brewers 64-51 this afternoon.
 
Hobart (19-4, 13-3) held Vassar to 32.2% shooting, including just 27.8% from beyond the 3-point arc. The Statesmen controlled the glass, outrebounding the Brewers 46-29.
 
Sophomore Jackson Meshanic was 8-of-12 shooting, making both of his 3-point tries and all four of his free throw attempts for a game-high 22 points. He posted his fifth double-double of the season after grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophomore Dan Masino added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Senior Tucker Lescoe made three 3-pointers for nine points and notched a game-high three steals. Senior Edens Fleurizard led Hobart's rebounding efforts with a game-high 14 boards to go with eight points and two blocked shots.
 
First-year Zach Johnson led Vassar (10-13, 6-10) with 14 points and six rebounds. Classmate Jack Rothenberg added 11 points.
 
The Brewers scored the first six points of the game, but that proved to be their biggest lead of the afternoon. The Statesmen countered with 10 straight points, including six from Meshanic, to claim their first lead. Vassar used a 7-2 run to take a 13-12 lead that proved to be the home team's last advantage.
 
Hobart surged back into the lead with seven straight points, part of a 13-2 run that gave the visitors a 25-15 lead. Lescoe, Meshanic and senior Sam Allen connected from distance during the run. The Statesmen took a 28-21 lead into halftime.
 
After a solid first half, Hobart caught fire in the second half, shooting 51.9% from the floor and hitting 4-of-7 from behind the arc. The Statesmen led by as many as 15 after halftime and never let their lead dip below five points.
 
Three minutes into the half, junior Lance Tebay's layup got Vassar within 30-25, but Hobart responded with a 9-2 run to stretch its advantage to 12. Then with about six minutes left, first-year Ethan Ellis made a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 48-43. This time, the Statesmen used a 14-4 run to put the game out of reach. Meshanic had eight points, including a traditional 3-point play and modern 3-pointer, to fuel the run.
 
With two games remaining in the regular season, Hobart is tied for second with Ithaca in the Liberty League. The Statesmen will be either the second or third seed in the six-team Liberty League Tournament. Hobart wraps up the regular season next weekend, hosting Bard (0-22, 0-16) on Friday and Skidmore (7-16, 6-10) on Saturday.