Graduate student Riley Naclerio led the No. 2 St. Lawrence University men's basketball team with 13 points and six blocks, but third-seeded Hobart topped the Saints 68-49 in game one of the Liberty League semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Ben Crawford added 10 points for the Saints and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, while Chris Miner finished with six points and four rebounds.

After an early back-and-forth battle, the Statesmen claimed a 17-8 lead on a 5-0 run with 12:33 to play in the first. Hobart pushed its lead to 32-19 by halftime.

The Statesmen continued to maintain their double-digit advantage to start the first half and worked to extend their lead to 20 (63-43) with 5:16 remaining. Hobart outscored the Saints 36-30 in the second half for the win.

"We didn't get off to a very good start offensively or defensively," said head coach Chris Downs. "Hobart made some big shots and continued to build on their momentum."
 
Colin Dougherty, shot 9-for-15 from the floor and led the Statesmen with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Jamal Lucas added 16 points and Tucker Lescoe recorded 14. Lucas, Edens Fleurizard and Jack Lesure all grabbed six rebounds for Hobart.

Hobart shot 55.1% from the floor and 53.8% from the arc and held St. Lawrence to 34.0% shooting from the floor.

St. Lawrence fell to 16-10 on the season, while Hobart improved to 17-10 on the season and will advance to play the winner of the second semifinal matchup in the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m.