January 22, 2002

GENEVA, N.Y.-The Hamilton College men's basketball team defeated Hobart College this evening by a score of 81-57. The Statesmen wasted a strong showing by junior forward Davidek Herron (Schenectady/Schenectady, N.Y.), who scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and blocked two shots.

The Continentals' junior forward Joe Finley (St. Edmund's Prep/Brooklyn, N.Y.) led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds.

The game started out like a track meet, as the teams traded baskets up to 30-all with 6:28 remaining in the first half. That's when Hamilton (11-4, 3-2 in UCAA) began to dig in. The Continentals used an 11-3 spurt to build an eight-point advantage with 2:35 left before the break. Hobart (7-9, 2-3) limped into the locker room, trailing 46-37.

Hamilton registered the first four field goals of the second half and never looked back.

For his part, Herron was outstanding, connecting on 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line, while matching his career high on the glass. Junior center Joe Corbett (Haverford School/Philadelphia, Pa.) also turned in a double-double effort for Hobart with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Brian Schiele (St. Anthony's/Seaford, N.Y.) was the only other Statesman in double digits with 11 first half points.

For Hamilton, sophomore forward Joe Smith (VVS/Sherill, N.Y.) contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds, while in the backcourt junior Tim Fesko (Liverpool/Liverpool, N.Y.) and junior Kevin Yanni (Watervliet/Watervliet, N.Y.) added 18 and 12 points, respectively.

Hobart returns to action on Jan. 25, when it hosts St. Lawrence University. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.