UTICA, NY – Junior Chris Ryder (Port Washington, NY/Port Washington) and freshman Jared Suderley (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley) combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds on Tuesday night to lead Hartwick's men's basketball team over Utica, 85-79. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 13-7 overall and 8-3 in the Empire 8, and pull into a first-place tie in the conference standings with idle Ithaca and Stevens.
The Hawks led from start to finish on the night to secure the season sweep of the Pioneers. Ryder recorded game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 10-of-20 from the field in the contest. Suderley registered 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also added 10 boards.
Mark Blazek (Erie, PA/Erie Cathedral Prep) notched 16 points and seven assists for 'Wick. Andres Carpio (Beacon, NY/Lock Haven Univ.) netted 13 points, including six free throws in the final 1:14 to help seal the win. He also contributed five assists.
The Hawks jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead and never looked back in the victory. The Pioneers closed the gap in the first half to one point, but 'Wick closed the half on a 17-7 run for a 33-22 edge at the break.
In the second half, the lead swelled to 19 points in the first five minutes, only to have the hosts fight back with a 12-0 run. The Hawks recovered and built another double-digit lead, but a 7-0 spurt cut the UC deficit to four, 63-59, with under five minutes remaining.
With the home team gaining momentum, the Hawks sank baskets on their next four trips down the floor to take a 73-64 edge with two minutes to play. UC began to foul to get possession of the basketball, and the Hawks answered the challenge, hitting 11 straight free throws in a 48-second span to put the game on ice.
Hartwick finished the game shooting 45% (29-for-64) as a team. The Hawks hit just under 80% (19-for-24) from the free-throw line.
Utica was led by Almir Gredelj and James Patterson, who each tallied 22 points. Adolphe Jean Baptiste added 15 points.
Hartwick hosts RIT and Nazareth in key conference games this weekend. The Hawks host the Tigers on Friday night at 8 p.m. and the Golden Flyers on Saturday at 4 p.m.