The Hobart basketball team will return to the court to face off against Liberty League rivals RIT and Ithaca this weekend, with the Statesmen welcoming the Tigers for a showdown in Bristol Gym at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, with the Bombers visiting the following afternoon at 4 p.m.

Both games will be webcast on HWS All-Access with Live Stats available on HWSAthletics.com.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

FOR THE RECORD

• Hobart enters the contest at 8-3 winners of five of its past six games. The Statesmen are 2-2 in conference play following a 64-50 win over RPI on Jan. 4. 
• RIT is 1-1 in league play and 5-4 overall, with the Tigers coming off a 90-82 victory against Geneseo on Jan. 3.

TEAM COMPARISON

• Scoring Offense: Hobart 67.8 ppg, RIT 76.9 ppg
• Scoring Defense: Hobart 62.9 ppg, RIT 77.6 
• Rebounding Margin: Hobart +5.0, RIT +4.7
• Turnover Margin: Hobart -1.1, RIT -4.3 

 
WHAT TO KNOW

• Sophomore Alex Moesch leads the Statesmen with 23 3-pointers and 130 total points. His scoring average of 11.8 ppg ranks 15th in the Liberty League.
• Senior Carter Meshanic leads the team and is second in the league in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. He posted game-highs of 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Hobart to a 79-61 win the last time the teams met.
• RIT has four players averaging 10.0 ppg or higher with graduate student Kenny Wilburn ranking seventh in the Liberty League at 15.6 ppg. 

 
SERIES SNAPSHOT

• Friday will be the 101st contest between Hobart and RIT on the court, dating back to 1966.
• RIT leads the series 52-48, although Hobart has won 12 of the past 14 meetings. 
• The Statesmen are 24-20 when facing RIT in Bristol Gym.

 
SATURDAY MATINEE

After dropping two non-conference games—73-70 to a one-loss Hamilton squad and 87-73 to No. 19 Carnegie Mellon—to slip to a 5-4 overall record, the Bombers when they return to league play this weekend. Ithaca will visit Union (5-6, 1-3) on Friday evening and Hobart on Saturday afternoon. Ithaca sits atop the conference standings with a 2-0 record.

TEAM COMPARISON

• Scoring Offense: Hobart 67.8 ppg, Ithaca 74.4 ppg
• Scoring Defense: Hobart 62.9 ppg, Ithaca 72.8 ppg 
• Rebounding Margin: Hobart +5.0, Ithaca +0.2
• Turnover Margin: Hobart -1.1, Ithaca +1.2

WHAT TO WATCH FOR 

• Hobart hasn't allowed an opponent to shoot 40% or better from the floor since Nov. 19, 2024. The Statesmen are coming off their best defensive performance of the season, limiting RPI to 28.6% shooting. Ithaca is seventh in the Liberty League with a .410 field goal percentage. 
• The last time Hobart welcomed the Bombers to Bristol Gym, the Statesmen got a game-high 20 points from Isaiah Washington '24 and prevailed 62-53. Carter Meshanic just missed a double-double, logging 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
• Senior Logan Wendell paces Ithaca in scoring (18.8 ppg) and assists (2.0) while first-year Chris Leysath leads a balanced rebounding effort (6.7 rpg). 

 
SERIES SNAPSHOT

• Saturday will be the 98th contest between Hobart and Ithaca. 
• The Bombers lead the series 58-39, but Hobart has won five of the past seven meetings.
• The teams split their home-and-home series last season with each team defending its home floor.