At the 9:10 mark of the second half with the scored tied at 55—one of four times the contest was deadlocked—Hobart (7-9, 3-3 UCAA) went on a 7-0 run to take control of the game. Down the stretch, the Saints (11-4, 3-3 UCAA) managed to trim their deficit to three twice, but a three-pointer by senior guard Brad Strait (Fort Plain/Fort Plain, N.Y.) with 3:13 remaining put Hobart back in front by two possessions for good.
Strait finished with 14 points and a career-high matching four steals.
The Statesmen struggled in the first half, allowing St. Lawrence to shoot 62.5 percent from the floor, while committing 15 turnovers. Senior guard Ahmad Toussaint (Teaneck/Teaneck, N.J.) scored eight of his game-high 18 points in the first half.
However, the second half was an entirely different story. Throwing the ball through the hoop appeared as easy as throwing a rock in the ocean for the Statesmen, who connected on 22-of-31 field goal attempts, by far the best field goal percentage in a half by Hobart this season. The Statesmen also committed just six turnovers.
Joining Feane and Strait in double digits were first-year forward Billy Clarke (St. Mary’s/Manhasset, N.Y.) and first-year guard Mike Manning (Center Moriches/Mastic, N.Y.) with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Clarke’s career-high performance included three three-pointers.
St. Lawrence got double digit efforts from first-year guard Matt Blue (Bellingham/Bellingham, Mass.), junior forward Aaron Marshall (Buffalo Traditional/Buffalo, N.Y.), and junior guard Keith Sullivan (Xavier/Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 17, 16, and 12 points, respectively.
Hobart returns to action at 4 p.m., on Jan. 31, when UCAA front-runner Clarkson visits Bristol Gym.
St. Lawrence University vs Hobart College 01-30-04 9 p.m. at Bristol Gym, Geneva, N.Y. HOBART COLLEGE 88, ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 80 ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY (11-4, 3-3 UCAA) Ahmad Toussaint 8-10 1-5 18; Matt Blue 5-8 2-2 17; Aaron Marshall 7-18 2-5 16; Keith Sullivan 3-4 5-5 12; Devernie Winston 3-4 0-0 6; Nick Laettner 1-4 2-4 5; Jimmy White 2-2 0-0 4; Pat Delmonico 1-3 0-0 2; Jack Rowbottom 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-54 12-21 80. HOBART COLLEGE (7-9, 3-3 UCAA) Colby Feane 7-10 3-4 17; Billy Clarke 6-8 1-1 16; Mike Manning 6-13 1-2 15; Brad Strait 4-9 3-7 14; Alex Bell 4-4 1-2 9; Tim Apuzzo 3-6 0-1 6; Michael Mastro 3-6 0-0 6; Joe Flacke 2-4 1-3 5. Totals 35-60 10-21 88. St. Lawrence University 37 43 80 Hobart College 32 56 88 3-point goals-St. Lawrence University 8-16 (Matt Blue 5-8; Keith Sullivan 1-1; Nick Laettner 1-2; Ahmad Toussaint 1-2; Pat Delmonico 0-2; Jack Rowbottom 0-1), Hobart College 8-18 (Billy Clarke 3-5; Brad Strait 3-5; Mike Manning 2-5; Michael Mastro 0-2; Colby Feane 0-1). Fouled out--St. Lawrence University-Ahmad Toussaint, Hobart College-None. Rebounds-St. Lawrence University 28 (Aaron Marshall 8), Hobart College 31 (Alex Bell 9). Assists-St. Lawrence University 20 (Nick Laettner 5; Devernie Winston 5), Hobart College 20 (Colby Feane 9). Total fouls-St. Lawrence University 18, Hobart College 19. A-579