CAZENOVIA, N.Y. – Junior Ace Bibbs had the hot hand for the Pratt Institute men's basketball team and sophomore Cameron Hatcher scored a team-high 20 on Sunday at the Schneeweiss Athletic Complex. Although combining for 37 points and holding the lead for nearly 30 minutes, it was not enough as Cazenovia College overtook the Cannoneers late in a 79-72 defeat.
Bibbs shot 7-of-10 from the field to finish with 17 points – one shy of his season-high – and grabbed five boards with three dimes. Hatcher recorded his second-straight game with 20-plus points to go along with five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Junior Daniel Golub had 11 points with four rebounds. Senior Aaron Nisbett scored eight points shooting 44 percent from the field, and collected four rebounds.
Pratt (5-19) came out of the gates swinging, starting an 11-0 run at 15:49 of the first half. Hatcher hit multiple tough shots, scoring seven in the spurt, to extend the lead to 12 at 14:12 – Pratt's largest of the contest. The opposition fought back to wipe out Pratt's lead briefly, but the Cannoneers maintained a one-point, 37-36 lead going into the lockers.
As the second half continued, both squads exchanged buckets and it remained mostly a one-posession game for the first 11 minutes but the Cannoneers never trailed. Bibbs played a large part in helping keep the Cannoneers ahead scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second half, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field.
With eight minutes to play, the Wildcats used an 8-2 run to pull ahead by five, 68-63, and stayed on top for good, stretching their cushion to double-digits in the final minute.
Cazenovia's (15-10) Alan Wilmes Jr. had a 23-point, 18-rebound double-double. Kobe Bogarts scored 18 points while shooting 53 percent (7-of-13) from the field with four three-pointers. Christian Sage also had 16 points, making 7-of-8 at the free-throw line.
Pratt returns to the hardwood on Saturday, February 18 closing out the regular season and celebrating Senior Day against The Apprentice School. Tip-off at the ARC starts at 2 p.m.
