ALBANY, NY – It may have taken longer than the team had hoped, 373 days to be exact, but the Hartwick men's basketball team finally got back on the court for a game on Monday evening. The Hawks fell just shy of a victory, dropping a 76-69 decision to host Russell Sage College at Kahl Gymnasium in the season opener for both teams.
Hartwick junior Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) recorded a double-double as he tied for a game-high of 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three point range, and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. He added a pair of assists and steals. Senior Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) connected on three from beyond the three-point arc and he finished with 12 points. Senior Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) missed a double-double by a single rebound as he closed out the night with 10 points and nine boards.
Jalon Borders was the top scorer for Russell Sage with 24 points. Amani Cummings (19) and Ryan Long (14) also reached double digits.
The Gators looked to have the game in hand with a 71-62 advantage with under three minutes to play. A 7-1 'Wick spurt with a layup with 30 seconds left from Haskell trimmed the lead to a single possession, 72-69. Following a timeout, the Hawks got a steal and had a look for a potential game-tying three-pointer but they couldn't get it to fall. The Gators put the game away with two from the free-throw line with 12 ticks left.
In a first half that saw six lead changes, the hosts opened up their biggest lead, 20-13, after a Cummings bucket at the 7:59 mark. Garey connected on a three for the Hawks and Connors proceeded to bury three straight from downtown on consecutive trips down the court and the game was tied at 25. A Connors' layup put 'Wick up 27-25 in what would be a 14-5 run in a three-minute window. Hartwick got up by as many as four before Sage took a 34-33 advantage into the break.
The Gators built an eight-point lead in the early part of the second session. After four straight Haskell points and a layup from Connors, Hartwick regained the advantage, 57-56, with under nine minutes remaining. Borders converted a basket at the 8:10 mark and Sage would maintain the lead the rest of the way. 'Wick got as close as one point, 63-62, after a Garey three with five minutes left on the clock, but Long scored the next eight points to put Sage up nine with under three minutes to go.
The Hawks finished the night shooting 34.7% (25-for-72) from the floor. The Gators made 45.6% (26-for-57) from the field, including 50% (14-for-28) in the second half. Both teams registered 41 rebounds in the contest with the Hawks hauling down 17 on the offensive glass.
Contributing for the Hawks, Nick Eiler (Highland Mills, NY/Saddle River Day) had seven points and Noah Downing (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) had six points in his first collegiate game. Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) netted four points with Calvin Seward (Bridgeport, CT/Fairchild Wheler), Josh Fenner (Huntington, NY/John Glenn) and Keif Timmins (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) all getting on the score sheet with two points apiece.
The Hawks will travel to Elmira College on Friday, March 5 for a 6 p.m. contest at Speidel Gymnasium.
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