Geneva, NY - Over the course of the final two-plus minutes, Hobart College went on a 9-0 run to force overtime and never trailed again as the Statesmen defeated the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team 72-67 in Liberty League action Friday night.

The Golden Knights desperately need a win on Saturday for any hope of staying alive in the conference playoff race as the team has fall to 8-14 overall and 5-8 in the Liberty League, with three teams already having amassed eight victories. Hobart is also just barely in the playoff race at 10-12 overall and 6-7 in league games.

Clarkson got off to a hot start, scoring the first nine points in just four minutes, capped off by a Conrad Zampier 3-pointer. Clarkson was up 10 just a few minutes later after a four-point play by Mike Hayduk and extended its lead to 14 (24-10) with 6:38 remaining following a Derek Hart layup. That 14-point lead would be the most of the game for the Knights, but Clarkson couldn't hold on to such a significant advantage as Hobart ended the half on a 13-2 run over the final 5:25 to trail by just three at the break.

Up by just two points in the early going of the second half, Clarkson went on a 7-0 run and a Derek Hart dunk pushed the Knights up by 10 with 14:17 to go. Clarkson maintained its 10-point lead for a few possessions and edged out by 11 after a Drew Zlogar layup with 6:48 to go. Up by nine after a jumper from freshman Liam Ellis with 2:34 to go, it appeared as if Clarkson could hold on for the win, but Hobart scored the final nine points of regulation to tie the game. The main key of the game came in the waning seconds as the Knights committed a turnover and the Statesmen quickly converted on a fastbreak to tie the game at 54-54, marking the first tie of the contest. Hobart scored the opening points of overtime and never looked back as the Statemen outscored Clarkson 18-13 in a high-scoring final five minutes.

Felix Abongo scored a team-best 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, but only took three shots in the game's final 25 minutes. He also contributed nine rebounds and four assists. Derek Hart also added 13 points, going 6-for-8 from the field, and Malaquias Canery added 10 points for the Knights. Colin Dougherty and Jamal Lucas each scored 24 points for Hobart, combining to shoot 16-for-32, while the rest of the Statemen combined to go 8-for-30 from the field.