ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team earned its sixth straight win, pressuring Bard into 24 turnovers on the way to a 77-68 Statesmen victory in the Liberty League opener for both teams. Hobart finished the game with 20 steals, one shy of the program's single game record.
 
Junior Dorian Paki led three Hobart players in double figures with a game-high 15 points. He was 7-of-13 shooting and was one of three Statesmen to record a team-high five rebounds. Sophomore Monty Nedd added 13 points and a game-high five assists. Junior Alex Moesch made three 3-pointers on the way to a 10-point, five-rebound game. First-year Jackson Carey also grabbed five boards to go with six points.
 
The Raptors were led by Angelos Bratakos and Seth Dyer, who each netted 11 points. Azikiwe Cuffy-Scott and Lucas Tovar both added 10 points. Jalen Umstead and Max Frei shared game-high honors with eight rebounds apiece, guiding Bard to a 40-32 rebounding edge.
 
FOR THE RECORD

• Hobart improved to 6-1 overall, 1-0 in the Liberty League.
• Bard slipped to 1-6 overall, 0-1 in conference.

 
UNDER PRESSURE

• Hobart's defense set up its offense as the Statesmen enjoyed a 16-2 scoring edge in points off turnovers.
• Timely thefts also led Hobart to a 22-2 edge in fast break scoring.

 
PRIME PILFERY

• Ten different players contributed to the near record-breaking thievery with senior Gabriel Bergeron and sophomore Allen Mordi posting three steals apiece to lead the way.
• The Hobart record for steals in a game is 21 set in 1989 against Roger Williams.

COACH'S CORNER

"It was important for us to get our first league win of the year. Our defensive disruption helped us make 20 steals tonight and those got us some extra possessions. We're thankful for the win, but we're already locked in to tomorrow's game." — Hobart Head Coach Stefan Thompson '13

TURNING POINT

• Hobart seized control of the game midway through the first half.
• Bratakos made a 3-pointer to give the home team a 17-15 lead with about 13 minutes left in the opening half.
• The Statesmen responded with the next eight points and outscored the Raptors 17-5 over the next seven minutes.
• Bergeron connected on a pair of 3-pointers and Nedd added another, while Paki threw down a pair of dunks during the surge.
• After Paki's second slam, Hobart led 32-22 with six minutes to go to halftime.
• The Statesmen closed the half on an 8-2 run to head into the break up 44-31.
• After the intermission, Hobart remained in control, leading by as many as 19, 73-54 following a 3-pointer by senior Axel Traina with five minutes left.
• The Raptors made up some ground with a 14-4 closing run, but it was too little, too late.

 
WHAT'S BREWING

• Hobart will wrap up its conference weekend at Vassar (5-1, 1-0) on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tipoff in Poughkeepsie is scheduled for 4 p.m.
• The Brewers opened league play with an 88-85 win over Ithaca.