POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – A driving layup off glass and in from Caitlin Drakeley with 16 seconds left in the game pushed Vassar College past Hartwick by a final score of 51-49 on Tuesday night.
            The Hawks had a chance to draw even on the ensuing possession but Taylor Vonasek's (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) shot was blocked by Vassar's Rose Serafini with just under five seconds left. Following a foul and a Vassar missed front-end of a one-and-one, Hartwick had the ball back under its own basket with 2.9 seconds showing on the clock. After two passes, Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby) had a good look at a three-pointer to win it but her shot hit the front iron.
            The game is the second straight two-point win for the Brewers over the Hawks. Last season, a buzzer beater resulted in a 67-65 Vassar victory.
            Vonasek was the lone Hawk in double figures with 18 points. She shot 6-of-12 from the field in the contest, and also had a team-high seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland) added nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
            Vassar led for much of the first half of play although the Hawks kept the deficit to six points or less through the opening 12 minutes of action. A Drakeley jumper pushed the margin to seven marking the Brewers' biggest lead of the night with eight minutes left. The Hawks would net eight of the next 10 points however, to pull to within one on Alicia Razanousky's (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) layup with under five left.
            The Hawks later tied the score at 22 with a Foreman layup but the Brewers outscored Hartwick 5-4 the rest of the half for a 27-26 lead.
            Hartwick grabbed its first lead on a Vonasek basket 15 seconds into the second half. Courtney Cirillo (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) added a jumper followed by another from Vonasek and 'Wick led 32-27.
            The Hawks held the advantage for more than six minutes until a Drakeley three tied the score at 34-34. The lead would change hands four times with four ties scores over the next eight minutes in a back and forth game.
            Vonasek gave Hartwick its final lead with a pair of free throws with 6:44 remaining. The Brewers regained the edge, 43-42, two minutes later and held onto it for the next four minutes. They led by four but two straight Vonasek layups at 2:32 and :41 evened the game at 49-49 before Drakeley's layup put Vassar up to stay.
            Razanousky contributed eight points for the Hawks in her first game of the season. She also had four boards, two assists, and two steals. Stone finished with seven points, a team-high four steals, three boards, and two assists.
            Hartwick shot 35% (18-for-51) from the floor. Vassar was slightly better making 37% (20-for-54) as a group. The Brewers held a 44-31 edge on the glass.
            The Hawks will open up Empire 8 play on Friday at home against Houghton. Game time is 6 p.m.