NORTH CHILI, N.Y. – With three starters hitting double figures and a good shooting performance overall, the University of Rochester outlasted Hobart, 80-77, in the semifinals of the Wendy's College Classic at Roberts Wesleyan College.
Rochester's victory puts the Yellowjackets into the championship game against Nazareth College at 8 pm Saturday. Hobart will play for third place at 3 pm against Brockport. Rochester edged Nazareth, 79-74, at the Palestra two days before Thanksgiving this year.
Mike Labanowski led Rochester with 17 points, hitting 7 of 10 from the floor, three of six outside the arc. David Gould and Nate Novosel scored 15 points apiece. That duo combined to sink 6 of 6 from the foul line in the last 17 seconds. Gould finished 8 of 8 from the line. He had six rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal. Novosel hit 6 of 7 from the floor, grabbed six rebounds, had two assists, and blocked two shots.
Freshman Nate Vernon hit all four of his shots, including 3 of 3 outside the arc, and scored 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench for Rochester.
Matt Pebole scored a game-high 21 points for Hobart. Stefan Thompson scored 18 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
The game was tight throughout. The lead changed hands eight times and the score was tied on nine other occasions. The largest margin for either team was six points. Hobart reached that with 3:57 left in the first half after a conventional three-point play by Sean Peer and a layup by Trevor Short.
Labanowski knocked down two threes in the closing minutes of the half, the last with 0:03 left in the period to bring Rochester within 37-34. The Yellowjackets used a mini 9-2 run to start the second half, ignited by Labanowski's trey, to take a 43-39 lead 2:28 into the half.
Vernon's second straight three-pointer put Rochester up, 55-52. Hobart answered with an 11-2 spree: three-pointers from Greg Stern and Thompson, an old-fashioned three-point play from Pebole, and a layup by Marc Bruce. It was 63-57 midway through the period.
Two free throws from Thompson kept Hobart in front, 68-65. Rochester ran off eight points in the next three and a half minutes – layups by Labanowski and Gould, two free throws from Gould, and a jumper by Labanowski. It was 73-68 Rochester with 2:51 left.
Pebole hit two from the line and after Adam Salzmann's layup, Hobart was within 74-72 with 56 seconds left.
Gould was whistled for an offensive foul trying to drive the lane with 32 seconds left. At the other end, Pebole's layup was blocked by Novosel and Gould collected the rebound. He was fouled immediately and sank both foul shots. Thompson made a layup with 12 seconds left and Gould answered with two free throws 10 seconds later. Tim Llewellyn was off-target with a three. Novosel rebounded, drew the foul, and sank two free throws with three seconds left. That pushed the lead to six and Thompson ended it with a long three pointer as the final buzzer sounded.