POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—Hobart College senior
Andrew Lynch scored a season-high matching 15 points, all from beyond the 3-point arc as the Statesmen picked up a 57-49 Liberty League win at Vassar College tonight. Hobart picked up its third straight win to improve to 15-9 overall, 11-6 in conference play, while the Brewers slip to 13-11, 9-8.
Lynch was 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, producing 15 points for the second time this season. He also had a game-high three steals. Senior
Jackson Meshanic was the high scorer for the Statesmen, logging 21 points to go with a game-high 16 boards. It was his league-leading 15th double-double of the season. Senior
Patrick Walker added nine points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomore
Aidan Rodgers scored six points and dished out a game-high five assists.
Jack Rothenberg was the only Brewer to reach double digits, posting a game-high 22 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds.
TURNING POINT
- Hobart led 20-14 at halftime, but Vassar charged out of the break, scoring the first eight points of the second half to take a 22-20 lead.
- The Statesmen responded with a 14-2 run that pushed the visitors back in front for good. Meshanic and Lynch kick-started the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers.
- Zev Katz made a layup to cut Hobart's lead to just two, but then the Statesmen rattled off eight straight points for their largest lead of the game 34-24 with 12 minutes to go.
- Katz pulled the Brewers back within four on a traditional 3-point play with about six minutes to play, but Meshanic countered with a layup and Lynch followed with a triple to extend the lead to nine before the 5:30 mark.
- Vassar trailed by at least six for the rest of the night.
KEYS TO THE GAME
- Third in the nation in rebounding margin, Hobart put up another exceptional effort on the glass. The Statesmen outrebounded the Brewers 44-28.
- Hobart shot 43.8% from 3-point range (7-16), while limiting Vassar to 23.5% behind the arc (4-17).
- The Statesmen shot just 55.6% at the free throw line but made the most of their chances in crunch time. Hobart made 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute to close out the victory.
COACH'S CORNER
"Tonight was a battle," Hobart Head Coach Stefan Thompson said. "Both teams struggled to get a rhythm going, but I thought our composure and execution down the stretch helped us widen our lead. Our seniors did a great job leading tonight. This time of year you have to expect every Liberty League game to be back-and-forth. That's credit to the depth of our league."
PLAYOFF PICTURE
- The six-team Liberty League Tournament field was set after last weekend's conference games. Ithaca, St. Lawrence, Hobart, RPI, Skidmore and Vassar are in.
- The Statesmen will go into the regular season finale tied for third place with the Engineers (17-7, 11-6).
- Hobart will visit RPI Saturday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. The winner of that game will finish second or third and host at least one tournament game.
