Colby Feane

Adam Frederic

January 13, 2006

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team picked up its first Liberty League win of the season in dramatic fashion, dropping Vassar College 91-83 in overtime. Senior guard Colby Feane (Weedsport/Weedsport, N.Y.) led the Statesmen with 24 points on 8-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line.

A back-and-forth contest, the lead changed hands 13 times while the teams were tied on 10 other occasions. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Hobart (5-5, 1-0) trailed 72-71 and was still seeking its first three-pointer. Senior guard Adam Frederic (Holy Cross/Flushing, N.Y.) drained the Statesmen’s one and only triple of the night with 51 ticks left. Hobart finished Friday the 13th 1-of-13 from long range.

Junior center William Kieffer (Horace Greely/Chappaqua, N.Y.) hit a layup with 29 seconds left to force overtime. Kieffer netted 13 points for the Brewers (7-3, 0-1).

Neither team got off a quality shot to win in regulation.

In the extra session, Hobart broke a 77-all deadlock with four straight field goals against just a single free throw for Vassar. Frederic sealed his team’s second overtime win of the year with a 6-of-6 showing at the charity stripe, finishing the game with 11 points.

The Statesmen began the night slowly, trailing by as many as 12 in the opening stanza, before rallying for a 39-36 halftime advantage. Vassar sophomore forward Lawrence Avitabile (Southington/Southington, Conn.) led all scorers at the break with 15 points and finished with a game-high 29 before fouling out with 12 seconds left in the game.

Hobart senior guard Joe Virgilio (Wheatley/East Williston, N.Y.) added 17 points to the winning effort, while senior forward Tim Apuzzo (Greely/Cumberland, Maine) and junior guard Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Sophomore guard Tyson Brazell (Waterford School/Salt Lake City, Utah) was the only other Brewer in double digits, contributing 12 points. Hobart’s bench outscored Vassar’s 31-18 for the game and 23-8 after halftime.

Rebounds were at a premium as the Statesmen shot 54 percent from the floor and the Brewers connected on 48.4 percent. Hobart grabbed a 36-32 advantage on the glass thanks to a game-high 13 by junior forward Mike Mastro (Jericho/Westbury, N.Y.).

The Statesmen are back in action at 4 p.m. on Jan. 14, when they host Rensselaer. The Red Hawks (2-9, 0-1) lost 77-65 at Hamilton tonight.