CLINTON, NY – Led by 26 points from Liberty League Player of the Year Tsakani Ngobeni, top seed Hamilton College defeated Union, 74-62 in the Liberty League Championships tournament semifinal game at Hamilton's Scott Field House Friday evening.
Senior
Joe Mackey (Flushing, NY/ Archbishop Molloy) paced fourth-seeded Union (11-14) with 14 points and four assists.
Steve Madej (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) chipped in 13 points and
Drew Desmarais (St. James, NY/Smithtown) added 11.
Kyle Grimm (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) registered nine points and seven rebounds before fouling out.
Ngobeni netted 16 points in the first half, while Kyle Dumas scored all 13 of his points in the second, including 12 from beyond the arc. Nick Jones posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jay Simpson handed out five assists.
Union jumped out to an 18-9 lead at 13:39 as the Dutchmen hit five of their first seven baskets. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Continentals (19-6) stormed back, taking a 24-23 lead at 5:41. Hamilton then went on a 10-0 run, holding the Dutchmen scoreless for over five minutes, to lead, 32-24 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. Union hit five free throws over the last two minutes, but the Continentals held a nine-point lead headed into the intermission, 37-28.
Hamilton continued its run in the second half, and led by as many as 16 by the 15-minute mark. Union used a 14-3 run to cut the Continentals' lead to five midway through the second half at 52-47. Hamilton drained three-straight treys in a 18-10 run to increase its lead to 13 with 1:23 to play, but the Dutchmen answered back with a Madej three pointer and a Mackey layup, but the Continentals finished the game hitting six of eight free throws to take the game, 74-62.
Hamilton will play in its fifth-straight league title game and is vying for its fifth league tournament crown in eight years. The Continentals will face second-seeded St. Lawrence (21-5) in the Championship game at Hamilton on Saturday, February 24 at 3 p.m.
