The double-double is the second for Ngobeni in the last three games. He went 5-for-10 from the field and made all six of his free throws. Tim Welchons '06 paced the Continentals' offense with 18 points. Phil Valenti '07 chipped in 13 points and a game-high five steals. Valenti leads the league with 68 steals. Nick Jones '07 added ten points off the bench.
Hamilton (9-1 league, 17-3 overall) has won five straight games. The Continentals remained in first place in the league standings while Union (5-5, 12-9) dropped to fifth place.
Brian Scordato '06 and John Cagianello '06 scored 20 points apiece to lead the Dutchmen. Scordato pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Cagianello leads the league in scoring with 22.7 points per game. Kyle Grimm '08 registered 12 points and three steals before fouling out.
Hamilton led 12-11 with 13:45 left in the first half, but Union went on a 15-2 run to grab a 26-14 advantage with 6:33 remaining. The Dutchmen cruised into the break with a 39-31 lead. Union led 45-36 early in the second half when the Continentals scored 14 straight points for a 50-45 advantage with 12:53 left. The Dutchmen responded with a 7-0 run and took their last lead at 52-50 on a Cagianello layup with 10:43 remaining. Jones put Hamilton in front to stay with a three-pointer just 20 seconds later. The Continentals led just 56-55 before a 9-0 spurt gave them some breathing room at 65-55 with 6:39 remaining.
Hamilton shot 53.8 percent (14-26) from the field in the second half, including 38.9 percent (7-18) from three-point range. The Continentals stayed in front late due in part to making 14 of 17 free throws in the second half. Union shot 48 percent (24-50) from the floor for the game. The Dutchmen made 42.9 percent (12-28) of their three-point attempts. Hamilton enjoyed a 42-21 advantage in rebounds. The Continentals had 16 offensive boards to Union's three.
Hamilton leads the all-time series 70-69.
Union vs Hamilton College 02/04/06 4:15 p.m. at Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. At Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. HAMILTON COLLEGE 80, UNION 70 UNION (5-5 Liberty,12-9) John Cagianello 7-12 3-3 20; Brian Scordato 7-11 2-2 20; Kyle Grimm 4-5 3-4 12; Joseph Mackey 2-7 2-2 8; Steve Madej 2-5 0-0 6; Chris Murphy 2-7 0-1 4; Rob Futia 0-3 0-1 0. Totals 24-50 10-13 70. HAMILTON COLLEGE (9-1 Liberty,17-3) Tim Welchons 5-13 4-5 18; Tsakane Ngobeni 5-10 6-6 16; Phil Valenti 4-11 3-4 13; Nick Jones 2-4 5-6 10; Staunton Peck 4-6 0-0 9; Zarrette Rogers 2-7 0-0 5; Harlee Wood 2-3 1-2 5; Giorgi Chavleishvili 2-3 0-0 4; Jeff Bernardi 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 19-23 80. Union......................... 39 31 - 70 Hamilton College.............. 31 49 - 80 3-point goals-Union 12-28 (Brian Scordato 4-6; John Cagianello 3-7; Joseph Mackey 2-5; Steve Madej 2-3; Kyle Grimm 1-1; Rob Futia 0-1; Chris Murphy 0-5), Hamilton College 9-32 (Tim Welchons 4-10; Phil Valenti 2-8; Nick Jones 1-3; Zarrette Rogers 1-6; Staunton Peck 1-2; Tsakane Ngobeni 0-3). Fouled out--Union-Chris Murphy; Kyle Grimm, Hamilton College-None. Rebounds-Union 21 (Brian Scordato 8), Hamilton College 42 (Tsakane Ngobeni 14). Assists-Union 20 (Chris Murphy 6), Hamilton College 18 (Staunton Peck 5). Total fouls-Union 22, Hamilton College 18. A-657