Feb 04, 2014
HENRIETTA, N.Y.—Senior forward Richie Bonney converted a traditional 3-point play with 19 seconds remaining to lift Hobart College to a 77-75 victory at the Rochester Institute of Technology in men's college basketball action tonight. The win raises the Statesmen's record to 15-5 overall and 9-2 in the Liberty League while the Tigers slip to 11-7, 5-4.
Bonney finished 7-of-11 from the floor and made all four of his free throws for 18 points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and blocked two shots. Senior guard Joe Gibbons also produced 18 points to go along with five assists and three blocked shots. Junior guard Connor Rehbaum logged 16 points and eight boards and junior guard Trey Blanding added 13 points and a game-high seven assists.
Hobart shot 49 percent from the floor, 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, and made all 12 of its free throw attempts. It's the second time in eight days that the Statesmen have been perfect from the line after making all 13 freebies last Tuesday at Union. Hobart held a 39-27 advantage on the glass.
RIT also put four players in double figures led by J.P. Reagan's 15-point night. Jameel Balenton added 14 points and four assist with Miguel Lopez and Kamron Davis contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively. Davis had a team-high eight rebounds.
The Tigers shot 46 percent overall, 30 percent from 3-point land, and 80 percent from the line. RIT finished plus-seven in turnover margin, committing just five miscues to Hobart's 12.
An extremely close contest, the game featured 15 lead changes and eight ties. The Statesmen went into halftime with a 36-34 lead thanks in no small part to Gibbons who had a game-high 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Four minutes into the second half, Hobart used seven straight points, capped by a 3-pointer from junior Andrew Hoy, to build its largest lead of the night, 49-38. RIT countered with a 14-2 run to take a one-point lead. Balenton made the last of his three 3-pointers with 3:07 remaining to give the Tigers their largest lead of the game, 70-64.
It was a five-point game 30 seconds later when Rehbaum scored five straight points to tie the game at 72. With 40 seconds left, Lopez toed the line with his team down one. He calmly sank both shots to give RIT its final lead of the night, 75-74.
Twenty-one seconds later, Gibbons fed Bonney in the post. He made the layup and drew a foul, making it a two-point game after the free throw. The Tigers got off a 3-point try, but it was off the mark and Rehbaum corralled the carom to seal the victory.
Hobart begins a five-game home stand to close the regular season at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, when the Statesmen host Bard in Bristol Gym.