GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College basketball team will host a pair of Liberty League games this weekend, taking on Rochester Institute of Technology on Jan. 6 and Ithaca College on Jan. 7. At Saturday's game against the Bombers, the Statesmen will salute area first responders—firefighters, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement—for their selfless dedication to the community.
 
Friday's game against the Tigers is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday's game getting underway at 4 p.m. The colors for the pregame national anthem will be presented by the Geneva Fire Department Color Guard. Admission to both games is free for all in attendance.
 
Both games will be streamed live on HWS All-Access and will be broadcast live on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva). Fans can also track the game online with Live Stats.
 
ABOUT THE STATESMEN

• Hobart brings a 6-4 overall record (2-1 in league play) into the weekend. The Statesmen are returning to competition for the first time since Dec. 14, when they suffered a heart-breaking 85-84 overtime loss at Baldwin Wallace.
• Hobart has been among the best in the nation on the glass this season. The Statesmen are third in Division III in rebounding margin (+14.2/g), 33rd in defensive rebounds per game (30.0) and 45th in total rebounds per game (41.9).
• Senior forward Jackson Meshanic leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging a double-double at 20.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg.
• Sophomore forward Carter Meshanic is second in scoring at 10.6 ppg.

 
ABOUT THE TIGERS

• RIT will bring a 5-4 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the conference to Bristol Gym. The Tigers are looking to rebound from an 88-79 loss at No. 5 Rochester on Tuesday.
• RIT is one of the top shooting teams in the nation, ranking 21st in field goal percentage (.487) and 24th in 3-point field goal percentage (.384).
• Senior forward Kevin Ryan leads three Tigers in double digits, averaging 18.1 points per game. He's shooting a team best .641 from the floor and averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Brock Bowen is second in scoring at 10.6 points per game, including a team-high 25 3-pointers made.

 
SERIES SNAPSHOT

• Friday's game will be the 96th between Hobart and RIT with the Tigers leading the series 50-45.
• However, the Statesmen have had the upper hand of late. Hobart has won each of the past nine meetings and 19 of the last 21.
• When the teams last met, Hobart prevailed 99-80 in Bristol Gym on Jan. 29, 2022.

 
ABOUT THE BOMBERS

• Ithaca also sports a 5-4 (1-1) record heading into the weekend. The Bombers will play at No. 19 Rensselaer on Friday before heading to Geneva.
• Ithaca is ranked in the top 50 in the nation in turnovers per game (41st, 11.7) and assist-to-turnover (48th, 1.26).
• Graduate student forward Luka Radovich is the team's leading scorer and rebounder at 20.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game.
• Graduate student guard George Sikoryak III and senior guard Liam Spellman are tied for the team lead with 26 assists each.

 
SERIES SNAPSHOT

• Saturday's game will be the 94th between Hobart and Ithaca with the Bombers leading the series 56-37.
• Ithaca has won three in a row against the Statesmen, including a 73-65 victory in Geneva on Jan. 28, 2022.