January 21, 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team dominated the glass en route to its third straight win, a 70-61 victory over visiting Skidmore College in a Liberty League matchup this evening. Junior guard Joe Virgilio (Wheatley/East Williston, N.Y.) led four Statesmen in double digits with 18 points, including three three-pointers.

Rebounds were the story of this contest. Hobart and Skidmore combined to miss 105 shots from the floor and the line. A significant size advantage for the Statesmen in the low post led to a 52-39 margin on the boards. In fact, Hobart had a season-high 24 offensive rebounds, nine more than its previous high-water mark. Statesman sophomore forward Mike Mastro (Jericho/Westbury, N.Y.) was the evening’s chairman of the boards, pulling down a career-high 17 to go with eight points.

In the first half, Hobart (7-6, 3-1 Liberty) broke a 16-all deadlock with six unanswered points to claim the lead for good. The Statesmen held a 30-24 advantage at the break.

After the intermission, Hobart’s lead hovered between five and nine for the first 10 minutes, before the hosts managed to widen the gap. The Statesmen grew their margin to as many as 15 down the stretch, staving off any serious push by the Thoroughbreds to get back in the contest.

Senior forward Joe Flacke (Schenectady/Schenectady, N.Y.) posted his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, as well as four blocked shots. Junior guard Colby Feane (Weedsport/Weedsport, N.Y.) also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points.

Senior guard Dana Martin (Stowe/Stowe, Vt.) was the center of Skidmore’s offense scoring a game-high 34 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Classmate J.P. Corry (Barrington/Barrington, R.I.) added 11 points and 10 boards for the Thoroughbreds (8-5, 2-2).

Hobart returns to action at 4 p.m., on Jan. 22, when Union College visits Bristol Gym.