The fourth straight victory for Hobart (11-14, 7-7) featured a combined 85 free throw attempts, 80 rebounds, 58 fouls (including three technicals), and 43 turnovers.
Grazioli was on top of his game, hitting on 10 of his 14 shots from the floor and 9 of 12 from the line. As a team, the Statesmen shot 50 percent from the floor and 77.3 percent from the line, sinking 34 of 44 tries from the stripe.
Hobart seize the lead on a layup by senior forward Malcolm Jackson (Edmund Burke/Takoma Park, Md.) and never relinquished its, opening the contest on a 22-6 run. The Statesmen led by as many as 20 in the first half and took a 42-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After the intermission, Hobart expanded its lead to as many as 21 and had a 52-37 advantage with 13:53 remaining. That’s when things started to get really chaotic.
Vassar junior forward Kyle Magnus (Rice/S. Burlington, Vt.) was whistled for back-to-back technicals fouls. Senior guard Aasim Cunningham (Montclair Kimberley Academy/Montclair, N.J.) sank three of the four freebies and finished his career with a 12-point, five-assist effort. Classmate Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) converted a pair of free throws with 13:25 to go to make the score 57-37. Manning finished his career with 11 points on the day and 1,112 for his career, the 13th highest total in Hobart history.
Over the next eight minutes, the Brewers employed a full-court press, trapping defense that flummoxed the Statesmen. Hobart was forced into eight turnovers in that span as Vassar outscored its host 30-11 to make it a one-point game, 68-67 (4:34). The Statesmen responded with an 8-0 run to retake control.
The Brewers, who got a team-high 21 points from junior forward Lawrence Avitabile (Southington/Southington, Conn.), trailed by just seven when senior forward William Kieffer (Horace Greely/Chappaqua, N.Y.) was T’ed up. Unlike the earlier technical fouls that seemed to energize Vassar, this one took the wind out of the team’s sails. Junior guard Tyson Brazell (Waterford School/Salt Lake City, Utah) converted a traditional three-point play with 35 seconds on the clock to cut Hobart’s edge to three, but the Statesmen hit all four of their free throws from that point on to secure the victory. Brazell and sophomore forward Joe Davis (St. Joseph’s Institute/E. Amherst, N.Y.) both finished with 19 points for the Brewers.
Hobart finished the season in fifth place in the Liberty League. Vassar enters the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Brewers will square off with No. 2 St. Lawrence on Feb. 23, at Hamilton.
VASSAR (15-9, 8-6 LL) Lawrence Avitabile 7-13 7-9 21; Tyson Brazell 4-9 11-12 19; Joe Davis 6-10 6-6 19; Jon Swartz 0-2 4-6 4; William Kieffer 1-3 2-5 4; Brian Butterworth 1-12 0-0 3; Andy McKenzie 1-1 0-0 2; Casey Black 1-2 0-0 2; Daniel Forcella 0-0 2-3 2; Tom Driscoll 1-1 0-0 2; Evan Hannay 0-0 0-0 0; Matt Nunn 0-1 0-0 0; Kyle Magnus 0-1 0-0 0; Joe Ward 0-1 0-0 0; Lenny Holt 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-60 32-41 78. HOBART (11-14, 7-7 LL) John Grazioli 10-14 9-12 30; Aasim Cunningham 3-6 5-6 12; Mike Manning 3-4 4-6 11; Rob Genovese 2-4 5-6 9; Duncan Paddick 2-7 3-4 8; Sean McHugh 1-6 2-2 5; Kevin Riley 0-2 4-6 4; Malcolm Jackson 2-3 0-0 4; Dan Matuzak 0-0 2-2 2; Tim Ivory 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-46 34-44 85. Halftime-Hobart 42-25. 3-point goals--Vassar 2-19 (Butterworth 1-11; Davis 1-4; Black 0-1; Holt 0-1; Brazell 0-2), Hobart 5-18 (Manning 1-2; McHugh 1-6; Paddick 1-3; Cunningham 1-3; Grazioli 1-2; Riley 0-1; Genovese 0-1). Fouled out--Vassar-Kieffer, Hobart-Paddick; Cunningham. Rebounds--Vassar 26 (Avitabile 8), Hobart 39 (Grazioli 11). Assists--Vassar 7 (seven with 1), Hobart 16 (Cunningham 5). Total fouls--Vassar 29, Hobart 29. Technical fouls--Vassar-Kieffer; Magnus 2, Hobart-None. A-300