Michael Manning '07 goes up for two of his team-high 14 points against RIT. (photo by k. colton / SPORTSPICS.net)

December 2, 2003

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team led by 13 at halftime, but RIT made all the right adjustments during the intermission to claim an 80-70 victory this evening in Bristol Gym. The win was the season opener for the Tigers, while the Statesmen slip to 2-1.

Hobart was clicking on all cylinders during the opening frame, playing solid defense (RIT shot just 26.7 percent in the half), creating fast break opportunities (8 pts) and knocking down open threes (4-of-9). Statesmen first-year Michael Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) and senior Brad Strait (Fort Plain/Fort Plain, N.Y.) had 13 and 11 points, respectively, at the break, while junior Joe Flacke (Schenectady/ Schenectady, N.Y.) helped Hobart to a 25-19 advantage on the boards, collecting 12 caroms.

Manning finished with a team-high 14, while Strait had 13. Flacke closed out the night with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

After halftime, the roles reversed. RIT had the defense (Hobart misfired on 13 of its first 14 shots), the fast break points (6-0) and the trifectas (5-of-12). First-year Kyle Goff (Stonewall Jackson/Manassas, Va.) led the charge with 15 points and 13 rebounds in the second half to finish with a game-high 23 points and a game-high 18 boards.

RIT sophomore Fran Snyder (Bishop Timon St. Jude/Buffalo, N.Y.) also reached double digits for the Tigers with 20 points.

Hobart returns to action at 4 p.m., on Dec. 6, when Ithaca College visits Geneva.