MONTCLAIR, NJ – Trailing by just one entering the final quarter, the Hartwick women's basketball team could not pull out a win against York College (PA) in the semifinals of the Montclair State Holiday Tournament on Saturday afternoon, falling 51-46 on neutral ground. The Hawks, who are now 5-5 on the year, will play Bethany in the consolation game tomorrow, while York (6-5) takes on host Montclair State for the title.
The teams started out the low-scoring affair with 12 points apiece in the first quarter. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) had eight of her game-high 20 points in the opening frame, thanks in part to a 6-of-6 performance from the line. Neither team led by more than four during the ten-minute span.
After York's Alana Bortner hit a jumper on the first play of the second quarter, the Hawks went on a 13-0 run to open up a 25-14 lead. After Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) got it going with a lay-up assisted by Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington), the Kirbys connected for a lay-up with Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) assisting Maggie to give 'Wick the lead. There were nearly three minutes of game time before the next points, a pair of Maggie Kirby free throws, but Taylor Verboven (Columbia, CT/E.O. Smith) made sure the wait for more scoring was not nearly as long when she canned a three at the 5:23 mark. Buckets from Maggie Kirby and Verboven made up the final four points of the 13-0 stretch.
The Spartans were not deterred, however, as they immediately turned on the jets and went on their own extended run, scoring 11 unanswered to tie the game again. Tori Geitner in particular was crucial, as she made three-pointers on back-to-back-to-back possessions for the last nine of those 11 points. Hartwick made three of four free throws in the final 32 seconds of the half to take a slim 28-25 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter brought the lowest scoring period of the game. After Bortner hit a three to tie the game 13 seconds in, the game remained at one possession over the next seven minutes. York's Kayla Ferris brought that to an end, however, with a three-point play on the break with 2:40 to go, making the score 37-32. Hartwick tightened their deficit to just one by the end of the quarter, however, thanks to unassisted lay-ups by Pritchard and Schoenherr.
Hartwick went cold at the worst time in the final frame. With the score at 39-38 over three minutes in, Bortner hit a lay-up and got fouled. She missed the subsequent free throw, but Haley Luckabaugh grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in for a 43-38 advantage. Just a few buckets and minutes later, things looked dire for 'Wick as Sammie Matteo's jumper made the score 48-40 with 4:49 on the clock.
The Hawks stayed composed; Pritchard made one of two free throws just over a minute later, and a Schoenherr steal soon after resulted in a Verboven bucket in the paint. Hartwick's defense came up big again on the next possession, as Pritchard pilfered the ball this time, and it ended up in Maggie Kirby's hands behind the arc (courtesy Schoenherr). She sank a big corner three to cut the York lead to 48-46. Despite multiple chances to tie, that was the closest the Hawks would get, as a combination of some missed 'Wick shots and made Spartan free throws led to the 51-46 final.
Maggie Kirby had 20 or more points and a double-double for the second game in a row, thanks to her 20-point, 10-board line. Her 44 points over the last two games are the most for any two-game stretch in her still-young career. Pritchard had another strong game for the Hawks, once again just missing a double-double. She reversed the line she registered against Brockport, this time pulling in a career-high 16 rebounds and putting up nine points (instead of 16 points and nine rebounds). Schoenherr contributed everywhere, with nine rebounds, four steals, four points, two assists, and a block, and Verboven had seven points on 3-of-4 from the field as well as six boards.
The Spartans played a deep lineup, as 12 players saw at least four minutes of action, and nine of them scored. Bortner led the way with 12 points, and Ferris had 11 rebounds, eight points, four assists, and two steals. Molly Day just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, and Geitner's nine points all came on those three possessions in the second quarter. Luckabaugh had five points and seven rebounds; Bradi Zumbrum was also important on the boards, with eight, including three offensive.
Neither team shot well overall, although York had the advantage from the field. They led the Hawks 29.5% to 25.4% as well as 19.4% to 13.3% from deep. The Hawks were better from the line, though, at 80.0% (12-of-15) compared to 47.1% (8-of-17). Hartwick won the rebounding battle, 54-42, and also led 17-12 on the offensive board, although they had just a 11-10 advantage in second chance points. York turned it over just 10 times to Hartwick's 15, and converted that into a 19-13 lead in points off of turnovers.
'Wick plays their final game of the decade tomorrow afternoon, taking on Bethany (WV) at 1 p.m. in this tournament's consolation game. York takes on Montclair State for the championship after the first game ends.
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