ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick took a one-point lead with 5.6 seconds left but a Chaz Lott driving layup at the buzzer pushed #16 St. John Fisher past Hartwick, 69-68, in Empire 8 men's basketball on Friday night at Lambros Arena.
            The loss drops the Hawks to 14-10 overall and 9-6 in the Empire 8, but the Hawks have clinched at least the #3 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 playoffs next weekend.
            Down one point with seconds remaining, Hartwick substitute Marc Du Moulin (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) came up with a timely steal to give the Hawks the ball with 13.4 seconds to go. Following a timeout, Trevor Norton (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) drove strong to the bucket and converted a layup with just 5.6 ticks left to the delight of a raucous Hartwick fan section.
            Fisher in-bounded the ball and got to mid-court with three ticks left and called timeout. Lott then in-bounded the ball and got it back and drove to the hoop in traffic. He got his shot off just before the final horn and it bounced off the rim and in allowing the visitors to escape with the victory.
            Norton led all players with 24 points for 'Wick. He made 8-of-12 shots from the floor, including three three-pointers. Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell) contributed a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingtown) added 11 points.
            Hartwick either led or the score was tied for the opening 19:16 of the first half of play. The Hawks were in front by as many as seven points with 6:14 to go in the half before the Cardinals outscored the Hawks 15-7 the rest of the way to take their first lead of the night at half, 34-33.
            Ryan would score 14 points in the first half to lead Fisher. Sinicki scored 11 points and added five rebounds.
            The Hawks held a 45-43 lead six and a half minutes into the second half, but a 16-2 Fisher run over the next four minutes handed the Cardinals a 12-point, 59-47 lead. The Fisher edge was 11 points with under eight minutes left but an 11-1 Hartwick run over the next two and a half minutes would turn the tide and pull the Hawks to within one, 65-64. Norton scored seven with Sinicki adding four points in the run for 'Wick.
            The game went scoreless until the 3:06 mark when Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) tied the game at 65 on a free throw. A Lott layup put the Cardinals in front 67-65 with 1:10 remaining. Another Lufkin free throw brought the Hawks back to within one with 59 ticks left. The Cards missed on their next field goal attempt but got the offensive board before bringing the clock down and taking a timeout with 18 seconds left before Du Moulin's steal.
            Hartwick closed the game shooting 44.6% (25-for-56) from the floor. They made nine three's in the contest. Fisher shot 47.4% (27-for-57) as a team. The Hawks out-rebounded the Cardinals 35-32.  
            St. John Fisher (21-3, 14-1 E8) was led by center Keegan Ryan's 20 points. He added a team-high seven boards. Lott finished with 15 points and Adam Ambielli added 14.
            Lufkin closed the night with a game-high eight assists. He added six points and six rebounds. Matt Wilson (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) contributed four points and six boards.
            Hartwick, which hosts Nazareth tomorrow in its regular season finale at 4 p.m., will play Alfred in the Empire 8 semifinals at Fisher next Friday night at 8 p.m. Fisher will face Ithaca in the other semifinal. The E8 title game is slated for Saturday, February 28 at 4 p.m.