January 24, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team dominated the offensive and defensive glass, outrebounding visiting Union 46-30 en route to a 74-66 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association victory this afternoon in Bristol Gym. Junior forward Joe Flacke (Schenectady/Schenectady, N.Y.) led the Statesmen with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 8-of-12 from the charity stripe.

Hobart (5-8, 2-2 UCAA) never trailed in the contest and came out of the gate like gang busters, scoring the first six points of the game and building a 12-point advantage by the 13:44 mark on a three-pointer by first-year guard Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.). Union used an 11-2 run to climb within three, but Hobart responded with a 9-0 run to balloon the lead back to 12, 30-18. Junior forward Alex Bell (Wallkill/Modena, N.Y.) sparked the run with a traditional three-point play, followed by back-to-back three-pointers by first-year forward Michael Mastro (Jericho/Westbury, N.Y.) and senior guard Brad Strait (Fort Plain/Fort Plain, N.Y.).

The Statesmen took a 40-29 advantage into the locker room at the break. The Dutchmen could have faced a much larger hole if not for the sharp shooting of Brian Scordato (Horace Greeley/Mt. Kisco, N.Y.). The sophomore forward recorded 20 of his team-high 22 points, including four three-pointers, in the opening 20 minutes.

Union (12-4, 2-3) scored the first 11 points of the second half to knot the game at 40-all. The teams traded baskets to forge the game’s second tie at 42-all, before sophomore forward Tim Apuzzo’s (Greely/Cumberland, Maine) layup at 15:21 put Hobart back in front for good.

The Dutchmen closed to within a single point three times, but the Statesmen responded to the threat each time. Clinging to a 55-54 lead at the 5:53 mark, Hobart outscored Union 11-4 over the next 4:22 to break the game open.

The Statesmen’s plus-16 margin on the boards is the team’s best of the season. Hobart took advantage of the extra looks at the basket, outscoring Union 20-6 on second chance points.

Manning, who made his first collegiate start today, posted a double double with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Bell (6-foot-3, 330 pounds) provided a BIG lift off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds in just 12 minutes. Sophomore point guard Colby Feane (Weedsport/Weedsport, N.Y.) also enjoyed a fine afternoon, handing out eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds to go with four points.

For Union, sophomore guard John Cagianello (Loomis Chaffee/Wethersfield, Conn.) and senior center Ryan Freundlich (Dayton/Springfield, N.J.) reached double digits in points with 17 an 14, respectively.

Hobart returns to action at 8 p.m., on Jan. 27, traveling to Hamilton for an 8 p.m., tipoff with the 22nd-ranked Continentals.