WILLIMANTIC, CT – Hartwick used an engulfing pressure defense to force 19 first-half turnovers as it opened up a 27-point first-half lead in a 93-50 blowout of Mount Saint Mary in the season opener for both teams at the Eastern Connecticut State Tip-Off Tournament in Willimantic, CT on Saturday night. The Hawks' 93 points is the most since scoring 94 in a win over Nazareth in 2007.
            Hartwick hit seven three-pointers in each half for a total of 14. It marks the most in a game for 'Wick since knocking down 15 three-point baskets against Salem College in 2010. The Hawks advance to tomorrow's championship game against the host Warriors beginning at 3 p.m.
            "We were able to knock down open shots tonight and it was a good first game for us," head coach Missy West said after the victory. "We worked the ball well on offense and got some great looks."
            Senior Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) added 19 points with a 9-of-11 showing from the free-throw line. Senior Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic HS) led all scorers with 21 points, which included a game-high five three-pointers, and sophomore Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) also reached double digits with 16. She also contributed a game-best nine rebounds. In total, 11 different Hawks made it into the scoring column on the night.
            "Kait had a great night shooting the ball," added West. "She played with a lot of confidence."
            The Hawks played a dominating first half in which the Knights had a tough time simply getting the ball across mid-court. Mount would take the lead 2-0, but just 44 seconds later the Hawks would take the advantage, 5-2, on a Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) triple and they never trailed again. Fourteen straight points from the Hawks would then give them a comfortable 21-5 lead with 10 minutes gone in the half.
            Hartwick would force 14 turnovers inside of 11 minutes and the Hawks, at one point, did not allow the Knights to take a shot in almost three minutes of action. 'Wick would lead 26-11 with 6:12 to play in the half but another nine-point burst added to the advantage, 35-11, with less than three minutes remaining.
            Two three-pointers from freshman Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby HS) and then another shortly thereafter from Veit, made the margin 44-17 before Mount got one bucket to cut it to a 25-point deficit at the break.
            In the second half the Hartwick advantage hovered in the low 20's for the opening seven minutes, but a three-point barrage would make the advantage insurmountable. The Hawks knocked down four of five from behind the arc and the lead swelled to 36 points, 78-42, with 9:40 still left to play.
            Veit would tack on her fifth and final trey of the night with 6:44 left for a 38-point edge. Jessica Bellai's (Schenenctady, NY/Schalmont) layup increased the lead to 40 and freshman Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland HS) scored the final four points for the 94-50 score line.
            Arduini finished the game with nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 performance from three-point range. Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) scored seven points to go along with five rebounds and Tracey Koch (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) pulled down seven boards. Stone would net eight, including 3-of-5 shooting, in her first collegiate game.
            Mount Saint Mary had three players in double figures led by Jessica Perrone's 15 points. Rachel Perrone scored 14 and Natalie Candarelli notched 10.
            Hartwick, which won its season opener for the first time since the 2010-11 season, plays Eastern Connecticut for the tournament title tomorrow. The Warriors defeated Johnson & Wales in the first game of the night by a score of 62-39.
            "Tomorrow we need to bring the same intensity," West stated. "Eastern is a good team so we must prepare and be ready."