The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team owned a 31-26 lead at intermission against Hobart College on Friday night in Canton, NY. However, Michael LaValle sparked a furious second half run by shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from three in the opening 7:00 minutes of the second half, helping the Statesmen secure a 67-62 conference road win.

Kaleb Faison and Brady Condlin each had 13 points for St. Lawrence, which falls to 9-9 (4-6) on the year after suffering the loss despite shooting 41% from the floor. LaValle closed with 12 points for Hobart (11-6, 6-2), while Luke Ruddy had 14 points on the interior as well. The Statesmen, who are the top-shooting team in the Liberty League, proved that statistic in the second half by shooting 70% (7-of-10) from behind the arc.

The Saints came out strong in the opening period, with Faison leading the charge with eight points and three boards, while the defense did a nice job holding Hobart to a 3-for-13 mark from three. A three by Faison with 6:08 to play in the half gave St. Lawrence its largest cushion at 26-13 as the Statesmen struggled to find their mark on the offensive end. However, the visitors would mark a small run to close out the half, closing the gap to just five, 31-26, at intermission.

The opening portion of the second half was a complete turnaround for Hobart, as the visitors shot the lights out 7:00 minutes. The team was 9-for-11 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from behind the arc (82%) behind LaValle, as the Statesmen put together a 28-8 run, scoring more points in that stretch than they did in the opening half.

Though St. Lawrence was forced to play from behind, the Saints hung around thanks to a three by Willie Zachery and baskets by Kyle Edwards and Condlin to battle back to within six at 62-56 with 1:32 to play. Condlin got his team a bucket closer after a lay-in with 51 seconds left, getting St. Lawrence within four for the first time since the 14:29 mark of the second half.

Despite Zachery's lay-up with 11 seconds left to get the Saints within three at 65-62, Connor Rehbaum knocked down the two game-clinching free throws to allow the Statesmen to hold on and celebrate the five-point win.

Hobart owned a 35-11 advantage in bench points, while the Saints outscored their opponents 28-14 in the paint. Condlin had a team-high eight rebounds, a statistic that his team held a narrow 34-32 edge.

The Saints will look to earn a weekend split tomorrow, Saturday, January 31 when they host RIT in a pivotal showdown in the Liberty League standings. Tip-off is slated for 4:00pm.