The Hobart College basketball team made a season-high eight 3-pointers, shooting .571 from beyond the arc, in an 82-70 win at Union College tonight. The two teams began the game as the front runners in the Liberty League with one loss apiece.
Senior guard Stefan Thompson scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from deep. He also dished out a game-high eight assists. Sophomore guard Connor Rehbaum added his first career double-double on a career-high 23 points and a career-high matching 10 rebounds. He was 9-of-12 from the floor. Junior forward Richie Bonney contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots.
The Statesmen (9-6, 5-1 Liberty) shot 54.5 percent from the floor and were 14-of-17 at the free throw line. Hobart now sits in first place in the league standings, percentage points ahead of Union (14-3, 6-2) and Skidmore (12-5, 6-2).
The Dutchmen got a team-high 24 points and six rebounds from Keven Donohue. Joe Mason and Terrell Winney chipped in 16 and 13 points, respectively. Union shot 44.3 percent from the floor and was 5-of-14 from behind the arc. The Dutchmen earned more trips to the free throw line than the Statesmen, but made just 11-of-18 (.611).
Hobart led by eight, 42-34, at the half. Thompson had exactly half of the team's points in the opening 20 minutes, making 7-of-9 shots. Union got to within two at 45-43 with 15:35 left on a Winney layup, but the Statesmen went on a 15-6 run over the next 4:10. Rehbaum scored nine points during the surge that sophomore guard Trey Blanding capped off with a pair of free throws for a 60-49 lead.
Union got as close as six at 60-54 on two free throws by Matt Petrone with 8:23 left, but a 7-0 run in the next 2:11 provided Hobart a 65-54 lead. Bonney capped that run with a 3-pointer, and the Statesmen enjoyed a double digit lead the rest of the contest.
Hobart will begin at five-game homestand on Friday, Jan. 25, when the Statesmen host conference rival Bard. Tipoff in Bristol Gym is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.