POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 18, 2012) -- Facing the East No. 3 and Liberty League first-place Hobart College, the Vassar College men's basketball team stayed close until the Statesmen took control with a 19-2 first-half run en route to a 69-43 win on Saturday at the Athletics and Fitness Center.

The Brewers finish the season 9-16 and 5-11 in the Liberty League, the most total wins and Liberty League wins since the 2008-09 season when the team went 10-15 and 5-9 in the Liberty League. The Statesmen are the No. 1 seed in the Liberty League Championships with a record of 21-4 and 14-2 in the Liberty League.

Following a slow start for both sides, Vassar closed the lead to three at 16-13 with 11:27 left on a triple by senior Nick Justiz. That was as close as Vassar would come to the lead henceforth as the Statesmen pulled away with a bonus-aided 19-2 run to push the lead to 17-points at 34-17 with 3:16 to play. Sean Peer sparked the Hobart run with a layup and Joe Gibbons added four points during that span, finishing the half with 10 points.

The Statesmen scored six points on free throws during the 19-2 run and finished the half with 12 points on free throws, while Vassar had none. Hobart dominated the glass in the first half with a 23-7 advantage in rebounding and an 8-0 edge in second chance points.

Hobart nursed a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half, peaking at 28 points at 69-41 with less than a minute to play. The Statesmen shot an efficient 63.2 percent from the floor in the second half while holding Vassar to 33.3 percent.

The Brewers put 12 of 13 players in the scoring column, led by senior captain Nick Justiz, who celebrated Senior Day with 14 points, hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point range. The program honored Justiz and fellow senior captain Ethan Shanley with a ceremony prior to the game and a standing ovation during a substitution in the final minute.

Hobart had three scorers in double-figures, led by Richie Bonnie with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Gibbons finished with 14 points and Matt Pebole added 11 points.