HOUGHTON, NY – Hartwick overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to claim a hard-fought 73-67 road victory over Houghton College in Empire 8 Conference men's basketball Saturday. The win for the Hawks is their third straight and they improve to 11-8 and 6-4 in the Empire 8.
            Sophomore guard Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle), who led Hartwick yesterday at Alfred with 23 points, was at it again against the Highlanders as he scored a team-high 25 points. He made five three-point shots and dished out five assists in the contest. Matt Wilson (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) registered a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown) nearly recorded a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
            Hartwick got the first basket of the game on a layup from Wilson and they led for only 53 seconds before the Highlanders went in front. They would hold onto the advantage for the next 30 minutes of action.
            The Hawks trailed by three, 11-8, with 14:10 showing on the clock but the Highlanders would score 13 of the next 18 points to grab an 11-point, 24-13 lead with 10:53 left in the half. Houghton's lead hovered around ten points until a Pratt three trimmed it to seven. Eight straight Highlander points, however, made it a 38-23 advantage. The Hawks closed the half on a 9-2 spurt to inch closer at the break, 41-32.
            In the second half, 'Wick chipped away at the Highlander advantage and got it down to three, 50-47, on a pair of Lufkin free throws. Houghton upped the lead to seven points with under 10 minutes to go, but three consecutive three-point baskets from the Hawks, two from Lufkin and one from Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell), and the game was tied at 59-59 with 7:59 left. After a stop on the defensive end, Wilson put 'Wick in front for good with two free throws at 6:55.
            A Lufkin three-pointer at 3:45 gave the Hawks their biggest lead of the day, 68-61. Seven of the next eight points went the way of the Highlanders and the margin was just two, 69-67, with 32 seconds left on the clock. Houghton couldn't get another point the rest of the way and Lufkin and Sinicki both hit two free throws each to put the Hawks in the win column.
            Hartwick made 42.9% (24-for-56) of its shots in the game. The Hawks also hit 10 three-pointers and dominated the Highlanders in rebounds, 48-31.
            Sinicki finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds for the Hawks. Trevor Norton (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) added six points and six rebounds and Joe Krong (Amsterdam, NY/Franklin & Marshall College) grabbed eight boards.
            The Highlanders received 25 points from Pellegrino. Jordan Scott added 17 points and a team-high six rebounds.
            Hartwick, thanks to Alfred's win over Stevens today, jumps the Ducks in the standings into third place in the Empire 8. The Hawks and Ducks meet next Saturday in Hoboken, NJ.