GENEVA, N.Y. – Seven players contributed to a lengthy 25-6 run midway through the second half that carried the University of Rochester to a 72-62 victory over previously unbeaten Hobart College on Saturday afternoon.
Rochester, ranked 24th in the current D3hoops.com national poll, improved to 8-2 heading into the holiday break. Hobart is 6-1. The Statesmen, whose six-game win streak to start the season is the best in school history, are coached by Mike Neer who returned to coaching this season after a one-year retirement. Neer coached Rochester to 563 victories in 34 years, including the 1990 Division III National Championship.
John DiBartolomeo scored six of his team-high 18 points in the run and Nate Novosel scored five. The Yellowjackets got three-pointers from DiBartolomeo, Nate Vernon, and Tyler Seidman in the burst.
Chris Dende scored 15 points, including a four-point play, and Novosel finished with 13. Stefan Thompson led Hobart with 25 points, 17 in the first half which ended in a 35-35 tie.
Hobart used baskets from Joe Gibbons and Matt Pebole to nudge ahead, 43-41 with 13:42 left in the half. Marcus Williams made back to back layups for Rochester and DiBartolomeo sank his third trey of the game. That pushed Rochester ahead, 48-43. The lead peaked at 17, 66-49, on Novosel's jumper off the right baseline with 5:26 left.
The Statesmen, behind four points each from Thompson and Rezin Davis, went on an 11-1 run, closing to 67-60 with just over a minute left. Dende sank four free throws and Kevin Sheehy made one in the last minute for Rochester.