GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team opened the 2010-11 season with an 87-64 victory over Cazenovia in Bristol Gym tonight. The Statesmen controlled the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 46-28 and dominating the boards 54-37.

Sophomore guard Stefan Thompson led four Hobart players in double figures with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Junior forward Matt Pebole added 14 points, while senior guard Tim Llewellyn chipped in 11 points. First-year forward Richie Bonney produced a double-double in his Statesmen debut, notching 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Darnell Sampson was the only Cazenovia player to reach double figures, matching Thompson's 20.

The Wildcats (0-1) scored the first two baskets of the game to take a 4-0 lead, but Hobart countered with 12 unanswered points. Cazenovia fought back for a 17-14 lead midway through the first half, only to see the Statesmen go on an 11-2 run to take the lead for good.

The Wildcats hung close, trailing by just two after a Sampson basket with 1:07 left in the first half, but Adam Salzmann (4 pts, 9 rebs, 3 stls) scored a layup, stole the inbounds pass, netted another layup, stole another inbounds pass, and called timeout. 

While the Statesmen didn't score after the pause, Thompson came up with a steal of his own and sank the final basket of the half to send his team into the locker room with a 37-29 lead.

Hobart made the first two field goals of the second half, but an 11-3 run by the visitors trimmed the lead to just four, 44-40. The Statesmen outscored the Wildcats 11-6 over the next five minutes to push their lead into double digits for good.

Hobart finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a 20-5 advantage in second chance points.

The Statesmen will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 17 when they visit Ithaca. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.