Hobart Deals UR 78-70 Defeat with Second-Half Surge

Though they led by five at the halftime break, the University of Rochester men’s basketball fell to the Hobart College Statesmen, 78-70 on Tuesday evening inside the Louis Alexander Palestra in their final game before Thanksgiving Break.

Driving layups by Matt Wiele and Tomiwa Adetosoyegot the scoring started for the Yellowjackets in the first half, as UR jumped out to an early lead. And after a pair of Isaiah Washington free throws leveled the score at six-all, UR scored six-straight over a 3:40 stretch, capped off by Malachi Moore’s jumper to take a 12-6 lead.

The Statesmen would keep things within striking distance until the 9:28 mark when Andrew Jackson’sthree-pointer kicked off a 9-2 run for UR. Adetosoye followed with a free throw and jumper over the next minute to make it a 10-point lead and force Hobart to spend a timeout, before Carter Meshanic’s jumper at the 7:35 mark slowed Rochester’s roll.

But after free throws by C.J. Amsellem and Mitchell Kershner extended the ‘Jackets lead out to 11, 26-15, the Statemen answered with a run of their own, holding the Yellowjackets to just one point over a 2:42 stretch as they cut UR’s lead to 27-25.

Gabriel Bergeron’s triple made it a one-score game, but Logan Jagodzinski answered on the other end for Rochester, putting the ‘Jackets up five with 2:07 left in the first.

Aidan Rodgers and Amsellem then hit back-to-back triples, before a late layup by Adetosoye answered two free throws from Rodgers and sent the ‘Jackets into halftime with a five-point, 35-30 halftime lead.

And Rochester would start the second half hot, holding the Statesmen scoreless for more than two minutes as they inched their lead to 11, their largest lead of the night. Jagodzinski opened the second-half scoring with a jumper, with Adetosoye and Matt Niemczura helping extend the lead to 41-30.

But once again, the Statesmen responded with a run of their own, outscoring UR 20-4 over the next seven-plus minutes to turn an 11-point deficit into a five-point lead at the 10:11 mark.

Over the 7:40 stretch, Rochester shot just 2-for-12 from the floor, while the Statesmen connected on 9-of-17, with Carter Meschanic scoring nine of Hobart’s 20 points over the run.

Down by five, the Yellowjackets would pull within three on Wiele’s jumper with 8:59 to play, but that’d be as close as UR got until the waning moments.

Another run for the Statesmen, this time a 9-0 run over just under two minutes, extending Hobart’s lead out to its largest of the night, 66-53 with 4:46 to play. After shooting just 26.9 percent in the opening frame, the Statesmen shot 50 percent in the second half, while UR shot just 39.4 percent and 1-for-11 from three, outscoring Rochester, 48-35 in the second period.

Hobart would lead by double digits for much of the final five minutes until Corvin Oprea drained a three with 54 seconds left to pull UR within eight. The ‘Jackets then got a steal and score from Wiele to make it a six-point game, and after Hunter Meshanic went just 1-for-2 at the line, Adetosoye connected on a layup and drew a foul to make it a 74-70 Hobart lead with 27 seconds left.

But the Yellowjackets would miss a pair of free throws down the stretch with a chance to pull back within four, while Hobart hit all of four of theirs in the final 30 seconds to seal the 78-70 victory.

Rochester falls to 2-3 with the loss, while Hobart remains undefeated at 4-0 with the win.

Three ‘Jackets scored in double figures, led by Niemczura’s 13 points, while Adetosoye and Jagodzinski each scored 12. Wiele tallied a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks, while Adetosoye led UR with five assists and three steals.

For the game, Rochester shot 40.0 percent and 5-for-16 from three, while the Statesmen shot 39.7 percent and 6-for-18 from distance. Hobart also shot 12 more free throws, doubling up UR with 26 makes, compared to just 13.

The Yellowjackets will next travel to Middlebury, VT for the UAA Challenge, taking on Middlebury College on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m., and Hamilton College on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m.