BROOKLYN, NY – Hartwick outscored Rutgers-Newark 7-2 in overtime to pull out a big 69-64 victory over Rutgers-Newark in the semifinal round of the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament at Brooklyn College's West Quad Center on Saturday night.
            The Hawks, who trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, were behind for the first 34 minutes of regulation but battled back in the late stages to even things. In the extra session, 'Wick did all of its scoring from the free-throw line with all seven points coming from the stripe. Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) sank four from the line in the overtime and Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) put the Hawks up to stay with 52.9 seconds remaining.
            Hartwick advances to tomorrow's title game against host Brooklyn. The host Bulldogs defeated Mount St. Mary in the night's first semifinal, 62-43.
            The Hawks and Scarlet Raiders battled back and forth throughout the second half. Two Carlee Hirt (Beacon, NY/John Jay-East Fishkill) free throws tied the game (50-50) for the first time since the game was 0-0 with only 6:21 left in regulation play. The Raiders would come right back with a three-point play and they added another bucket to rebuild their advantage to five, 55-50, less than a minute later.
            'Wick chipped away with four straight free throws to get to within one, and after the Raiders added a jumper, Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) nailed a three-pointer to tie the score at 59 with 2:40 left. Two Rutgers-Newark free throws put them ahead by two once again with under two minutes remaining. But Dumas hit a driving layup and was fouled and put 'Wick ahead, 62-61, for the first time all night at 1:41.
            Hartwick forced a turnover but couldn't add to its total on the offensive end. With 54 seconds left, ShaQuanna Marshall earned a trip to the free-throw line and she sank one of two to tie the score at 62. Both teams had looks with under 30 seconds left but neither converted and overtime ensued.
            Things could not have gone worse for the Hawks in the first three minutes of overtime as they turned the ball over on their first four possessions. Luckily for Hartwick, the Raiders turned it over twice and missed three shots in the span and only managed a two-point lead. A free throw with 2:37 left was the final point for the Raiders the rest of the way.
            Purcell made a shot from the foul line to close to within a point with 1:55 to go and the Hawks got two stops in a row to gain the ball back with under a minute left. Dumas was fouled going to the rim and she calmly drilled both to give Hartwick just its second lead of the game, 65-64.
            The Raiders missed at the other end and were forced to foul. Foglia, who was a perfect 10-for-10 from the stripe in the game, sank them both to give the Hawks a three-point cushion, 67-64, with 22.1 seconds on the clock.
            After a timeout, Rutgers-Newark looked for Laura Shakiri, who had sank three three-pointers in the first half. Instead, the ball went to Maria Simmons, but her three-point shot to tie was off the mark. Foglia put the game away with two more from the line with seven ticks left.
            Foglia finished with a team-high 17 points and a game-high seven rebounds for Hartwick. She also dished out six assists. Dumas added 13 points five boards, and three steals. Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) was also in double figures with 10. Purcell ended the night with nine points, five boards and three assists.  
            The Hawks also got significant contributions from their bench. Carlee Hirt (Beacon, NY/John Jay-East Fishkill) and Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT) each scored six points. The duo combined to shoot 3-of-4 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. Alicia Razanousky (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) added four points.
            Jade Howard led all scorers with 19 for the Raiders. Simmons had 13 points, Shakiri had 11, and Jewel Palmer scored 10.
            For the game, the Hawks made 42% (19-for-45) from the field. Their effort from the free-throw line would put them over the top tonight, as they connected on 26 of their 28 attempts for a 93% performance.
            Rutgers-Newark also made 42% (23-for-55). The Raiders must only 67% (14-for-21) from the stripe.
            The Raiders started the game off strong scoring on four of their first five shots to take an 11-2 advantage 3:44 into the contest.  Back to back three-point baskets from Arduini trimmed the lead to three, 11-8, less than a minute and a half later.
            After Hirt sank two from the free-throw line at 13:15 to make the score 15-12 Rutgers-Newark, the Scarlet Raiders would embark on an 8-0 run with Laura Shakiri draining a pair of threes to go up 23-12.
            The two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes with Rutgers-Newark maintaining its 11-point advantage. The Hawks, however, climbed back into it with a 13-4 run to close the half. Foglia, Dumas, and Razanousky each scored four points in the spurt as the Hawks hit halftime down a pair, 34-32.
            Shakiri led all scorers with 11 in the first half. Dumas had eight and Arduini added six for the Hawks
            The Raiders hit 58% (15-for-26) from the floor and 67% (4-of-6) from downtown over the first 20 minutes. Hartwick made 47.8% (11-for-23) and 40% (4-for-10) from three-point range.
            Hartwick extends its season record to 21 wins and eight defeats. The Hawks can match last season's win total with a victory over the Bulldogs tomorrow. A win would also earn them their first ECAC Championship in program history.