TROY, N.Y. – Powered by a 25-point effort from sophomore Stefan Thompson, the Hobart College men's basketball team defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 83-75, in Liberty League action on Saturday.  The Statesmen improve to 13-3 with the victory and remain undefeated in conference play with a 5-0 mark.  The Engineers slip to 9-6 on the season and 3-2 in the Liberty League. 

Rensselaer, which held a narrow 43-40 lead after the opening half, saw the visitors come roaring back as Hobart went on a 13-0 run for a 58-43 lead at the 13:56 mark.  Leading the way for the Statesmen was junior Matt Pebole (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank), who four points during the stretch.

A pair of free throws from senior captain Andrew Darst (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) helped cut the deficit to 12 points (58-46) with 13:20 remaining, but the visitors continued to press, taking a 65-50 advantage at 10:14 on a jumper by freshman Blair Helton (Buffalo, NY/Canisius).

The Engineers finally began to chip away at the advantage at the 8:40 mark as senior captain Mike Brion (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) nailed a three pointer and DJ Blakemore (Bloomfield Township, MI/Lahser) drained a pair of shots from the free throw line.  RPI cut the lead to three (70-67) as Blakemore, also a senior captain, buried a three-pointer at 5:51.

Rensselaer would not come any closer as Hobart capitalized late in the game with four points from Helton to extend its lead to eight (77-69) with 3:25 left.  Thompson, who scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half, added four makes at the free throw line in the final two minutes to seal the victory.

Hobart, which went 13 of 18 from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, also took advantage of turnovers in the game, scoring 26 points off RPI's 22 giveaways. 

In addition to Thompson, who was 11 of 13 from the charity stripe, the Statesmen saw rookie Richie Bonney (Norwich, NY/Norwich) add 18 points and a game-best eight rebounds.  Pebole also chipped in with 13 points and four caroms.

For the Engineers, senior Jeremy Bull (Woodbridge, VA/St. Stephens & St. Agnes) recorded a team-best 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting.  Blakemore and Darst each added 10 points, while sophomore Daniel Martin (Cohasset, MA/Cohasset) had five points, seven rebounds and a game-best five blocks.

The Engineers return to action next weekend, traveling to Union and Skidmore on Friday (8pm) and Saturday (4pm), respectively.  Hobart is also in action next weekend, hosting St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Friday (8pm) and Saturday (4pm).