January 27, 2007

TROY, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team made a late comeback bid, but fell six points short of Rensselaer, a 64-58 winner in Robison Gym. The Red Hawks improve to 10-8, 3-4 in the Liberty League, while the Statesmen slip to 6-12, 2-5.

RPI strethced a 26-19 halftime lead to as many as 11, 53-42, with 4:26 remaining. Over the next two minutes, Hobart outscored its host 12-4 to trim its deficit to three. Senior forward Dan Matuzak (Locust Valley/Lattingtown, N.Y.) scored all five of his points during the ill-fated comeback.

The Red Hawks kept the Statesmen at bay by nailing 7-of-8 free throws in the final 90 seconds.

Junior forward John Grazioli (St. Anthony's/Melville, N.Y.) led Hobart with 13 points and eight rebounds. First-year guard Sean McHugh (Holy Trinity/Mineola, N.Y.) added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Senior guard Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) also reached double figures with 10 points.

Neal Wesson scored 20 points paced RPI with 20 points, including four threes. Sam Simmons and Clay Hadley contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Hobart returns to the friendly confines of Bristol Gym on Feb. 2, when the Statesmen host Union in another Liberty League showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Live coverage of the contest will be available online.