Hamilton (8-6 overall, 3-1 league) remained tied with Hobart College for first place in the league standings. The Continentals have won three straight league games after losing at Hobart back on Jan. 11. Union (8-7, 2-2) fell into a four-way tie for third place.
Jones' fourth three-point basket of the game gave Hamilton a 67-66 lead with 38 seconds left. He made 7-of-13 field goal attempts, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and grabbed four rebounds. Giorgi Chavleishvili '08 added a career-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and two blocked shots off the bench. Tim Welchons '06 chipped in nine points while Staunton Peck '06 handed out six assists and made six steals.
Devon Bruce '05 paced the Dutchmen with 20 points and eight rebounds. John Cagianello '06 poured in 18 points and Joe Mackey '07 tossed in 10. Chris Murphy '06 was credited with a game-high eight assists and also posted three steals.
The Continentals led just one other time in the second half at 51-49 with 10:22 left. Union had a 33-30 advantage at the half and led by as many as eight points twice in the second half. The Dutchmen still enjoyed a 64-57 cushion with 4:06 remaining on a Mackey three-pointer, but Hamilton finished the game on an 11-2 run. After Jones' three, Mackey was long on a three-pointer of his own from the baseline and Jones was there for the rebound. Welchons made 1-of-2 free throws with six seconds left for a 68-66 lead and Union didn't get another shot at the win.
The Continentals shot 52 percent from the field, including 60 percent in the final 20 minutes, but had to overcome the Dutchmen making 59.1 percent of their shots. Hamilton countered by forcing 21 turnovers and making 77 percent of its 13 free throw attempts. The Continentals host Skidmore College for another league game on Saturday at 4 p.m.