GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart basketball team made their 2011 debut an impressive one, defeating SUNY Potsdam 92-59 in Bristol Gym tonight. The Statesmen posted season-highs for assists (23) and steals (17) and notched their second-best shooting performance of the season, knocking down 51.6 percent from the floor.

Hobart (8-3) held a clear advantage in every statistical category, dominating points in the paint (38-24), points off turnovers (33-12), second chance points (15-6), and bench scoring (38-21). The Statesmen also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Bears 38-30.

Hobart had four players score 10 points or more, led by junior forward Matt Pebole's game-high 19 points. Senior guard Tim Llewellyn sank 4-of-6 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, while sophomore guard Stefan Thompson and first-year forward Richie Bonneyeach contributed 10 points. Bonney also collected a team-high seven rebounds, and sophomore guard Rezin Davis handed out a game-high six assists without a turnover. Llewellyn, Pebole, Thompson, and senior guard Brian Burbank shared team-high honors with three steals each.

Sophomore guard Curtis Pierce was the only Potsdam (2-7) player to reach double digits, scoring 17 points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and posted three of the Bears' six steals.

Hobart broke the contest open with a 21-3 run that turned a four-point deficit into a 31-17 lead with 6:47 left in the opening half. Davis hit a 3 that gave the Statesmen a 19-14 lead. Colin Peterson countered with a triple at the other end of the floor, but Hobart countered with a basket by Pebole and consecutive 3-pointers by Llewellyn and senior forward Adam Salzmann to build a 10-point lead. Potsdam went more than five minutes between baskets, watching Hobart stretch its lead to double digits, an advantage the home team did not relinquish.

The Statesmen carried a 48-27 lead into halftime. Hobart outshot the Bears .552 to .308 in the opening 20 minutes.

The hot start carried over into the second half for the Statesmen as they began the second session on a 12-4 run, but Potsdam used a 13-2 surge to get within 18, 62-44, with 8:46 left. Hobart put the game out of reach with a 14-2 that bloated the lead to 30 on the way to the 33-point win.

The Statesmen will begin Liberty League play on Monday, Jan. 10, when they host Hamilton at 8 p.m. in Bristol Gym. WHWS-FM (105.7) will broadcast the game live, while online coverage will include Live Stats and All-Access Video.