ITHACA, NY – Hartwick's men's basketball team outlasted host Ithaca in a heart-stopping 93-90 overtime victory Friday night at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Hawks squandered a 23-point first-half lead but outscored the Bombers 13-10 while making four of their seven shots in the overtime period for the win.
            The victory is Hartwick's sixth in a row and its fifth straight Empire 8 road win. The Hawks now are in sole possession of second place in the league standings. The Bombers (11-11, 8-5) drop to third.

            All six Hawks that made it into the scoring column reached double figures, led by Joey Lufkin's (Argyle, NY/Argyle) game-high 21 points. Matt Wilson (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) scored 19 points and Trevor Norton (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) contributed 18.
            The Hawks began at a blistering pace as they dashed out to an 11-0 lead three and a half minutes into the game. Seven points was as close as Ithaca got over the next five minutes. A three-pointer from Norton at 9:48 and the Hawks never led by less than 10 points for the rest of the half.
            Hartwick was in front 38-27 with 6:30 left in the half, but a 14-2 Hartwick run would hand it a 52-29 advantage four minutes later. Joe Krong (Amsterdam, NY/Franklin & Marshall College) hit a pair of three's in the run with Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingtown) and Norton connecting on one apiece.
            The Bombers were able to trim the gap to 18 points, 54-36, at the break. The Hawks shot 59.5% (22-for-37) from the field and 53.3% (8-for-15) from three-point range in the first half.
            Their shooting cooled off in the second half, however, as they made only 25.8% of their shots. Hartwick led by at least 14 points through the first eight and a half minutes of the half. A bucket from Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell) with 13:32 remaining gave 'Wick a 64-48 edge but it would be its final points in the next four and a half minutes as the Bombers went on a 13-0 run.
            The game would stay tight the rest of the way. Ithaca cut the deficit to two with 4:33 remaining before Wilson answered with four straight points for 'Wick. Two IC free throws made the score 74-73 with 2:31 left before Lufkin drained a three for a four-point edge. After trading free throws, Max Masucci connected on a shot from three-point range and the game was tied at 78-78 with 1:30 on the clock.
            Lufkin and Keefe Gitto then traded a pair of free throws to even the game at 80 with under a minute to play. After winding the clock down, the Hawks had two chances for the go-ahead basket but couldn't convert. On the final possession, the Bombers went the length of the court in just over three seconds but Sam Bevan's driving basket came after the final horn and the game went to the extra session.
            Marc Chasin opened the scoring in the overtime for Ithaca with a free throw. A Sinicki layup 19 seconds later at 4:21 would put Hartwick ahead for the rest of the night, 82-81. An old fashioned three-point play from Lufkin extended the 'Wick lead to four. Gitto and Norton alternated baskets and the Hawks led by four again, 87-83, with under three minutes left.
            Following another Gitto layup to pull to within two points, the Bombers turned the ball over twice on their next two possessions. Lufkin then converted a layup for the Hawks with 22 seconds to play. Bevan cut it to 89-87 with two free throws with eight seconds on the clock and Norton responded with two for the Hawks two seconds later for a 91-87 lead.
            IC raced down the court and hit a three-pointer with less than two ticks left but Lufkin closed out the scoring from the line after a Bomber foul. Ithaca's last effort following a long in-bounds pass fell short and the Hawks survived for the win.
            In total, the Hawks led in tonight's game for nearly 43 minutes of action. The score was tied for only 1:57 and the Bombers led for only 19 seconds.
            Lufkin would contribute seven rebounds and a team-high six assists for 'Wick. Wilson added five boards, five blocked shots, and four assists.
            Sinicki finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Krong had 11 points and eight rebounds and Pratt missed a double-double by one rebound with 10 points and nine boards.
            Ithaca was paced by Gitto's 18 points and 13 rebounds. Bevan added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Chasin contributed 16 points and 10 boards.
            Hartwick will look to finish a perfect 6-for-6 on its long Empire 8 road swing tomorrow at Elmira College. The Hawks and Soaring Eagles start at Speidel Gymnasium at 4 p.m.