ROCHESTER, N.Y.— First-year guard Monty Nedd led the Hobart basketball team with a career-high 26 points as the Statesmen defeated Liberty League foe RIT, 84-73, in Clark Gymnasium this afternoon.

Nedd's 26 points led all scorers this afternoon as he shot 57% from the floor in the conference matchup. He added three rebounds and two assists in the win for Hobart. Three other players recorded double-digit points for the Statesmen. Sophomore Alex Moesch and senior Aidan Rodgers tallied 11 points each in the win and combined for six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot.

Senior Hunter Meshanic recorded his first career double-double as he tallied 10 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Meshanic added a season-high three steals and three assists in the win.

RIT was led by Matt Caggiano with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Marcus Graves chipped in 12 points, two rebounds and a steal while Kenny Wilburn added 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks in the loss for the Tigers.

TEAM TOTALS

• Rebounds: RIT 44, Hobart 37
• Assists: Hobart 10, RIT 10
• Turnovers: RIT 13, Hobart 7
• Steals: Hobart 9, RIT 4

STATESMEN STAT LEADERS

• Scoring: Monty Nedd 26, Alex Moesch 11, Aidan Rodgers 11, Hunter Meshanic 10, Carter Meshanic 9
• Rebounding: Hunter Meshanic 10, Carter Meshanic 7, Allen Mordi 4, Monty Nedd 3, Pat Healy 3, Alex Moesch 3, Aidan Rodgers 3
• Assists: Hunter Meshanic 3, Monty Nedd 2, Carter Meshanic 2, Alex Moesch 2
• Steals: Hunter Meshanic 3, Aidan Rodgers 2, Pat Healy 1, Alex Moesch 1, Dorian Paki 1, Allen Mordi 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hobart and RIT traded the early points as Nedd grabbed the early momentum with seven quick points. The Statesmen went on a 7-0 scoring run over the next four minutes to grab an early 21-10 lead.
• The Tigers responded with a 5-0 run of their own and eventually got within three points before Hobart locked down on defense and pushed the pace offensively. A Statesmen run was capped by a Rodgers layup to give Hobart their biggest lead of the half (15) with under three minutes remaining in the half.
• The Statesmen continued to maintain the momentum of the game and closed out the half with a big Allen Mordi block that led to a Hobart fast break. Hunter Meshanic's driving layup as time expired would give the Statesmen a 14-point lead heading into halftime.
• Hobart opened the second half with a 7-0 scoring run to extend its lead to 21. The Tigers began to make big stops and chipped away at the lead as they got back within 12 points with 10 minutes remaining.
• The two sides traded momentum until a three pointer by Marcus Graves cut RIT's deficit to 10 with three minutes remaining. A big three pointer by Nedd in response halted the Tigers comeback as the Statesmen used the clock well and added strong shooting from the free throw line to close out the contest on top 84-73.

FOR THE RECORD

• With the win, Hobart completes the series sweep of the Tigers and moves to 13-6 overall with a 7-5 mark in the Liberty League.
• RIT falls to 6-11 on the season with a 2-9 mark in conference play.

UP NEXT
 
Hobart will be back in action Friday, Feb. 7, when it travels to the north country for a Liberty League matchup with Clarkson. Tipoff between the Statesmen and the Golden Knights is set for 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Gymnasium.