CLINTON, NY – Hartwick's men's basketball's rally from a 17-point deficit fell just short on Saturday in the opening game of the Hamilton College Invitational at Scott Field House in Clinton, NY, 93-87. The Hawks got within four, 91-87, with seven seconds remaining in the game on Brandon LaForest's (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) three-point basket. Trachone Preston's free throws, which gave him a game-high 31 points, put the game away with three ticks left.
             LaForest led all Hawks on the night with a season-best 22 points to go along with four assists. Trevor Norton (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) contributed 18 points, four boards, and three assists. Both players knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the contest.
            Matt Wilson (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) registered 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown) added 14 points, six rebounds, and a game-high four treys.
            In the opening half, the Warriors took a 20-8 advantage with eight minutes left on a Tyrell Arnum jumper. Thirteen of the next 20 points went to the Hawks, with LaForest scoring eight points in the span, to trim the margin to six, 27-21. Buckets from Preston and Arnum in the last 1:15 gave Eastern Connecticut a 37-27 edge at the half.
            The Warriors maintained their double-digit lead through the first eight and a half minutes of the second half until free throws from Norton made it an eight-point game, 57-49. An 11-2 ECSU run would quickly build the lead back up to 17 in the next two minutes.
            The Hartwick deficit hovered around 10 points for the next six and a half minutes, but a Norton three-pointer cut it to five, 81-76, with 1:59 showing on the clock. The Hawks began to put the Warriors on the line which they converted into 10 points down the stretch. 'Wick stayed in the game by continuing to put points on the board but LaForest's three with less than 10 seconds left was its last gasp.
            The Hawks shot 46.7% (28-for-60) from the field and made 11 shots from three-point range (39.3%). The Warriors made 50% of their shots in both halves to finish 31-of-62. 'Wick was out-rebounded by a margin of 40-29.
              Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle) was in double figures for the Hawks with 10 points. He also picked up a team-high six assists.
            The Hawks will play in the consolation game tomorrow at 1 p.m. They face the winner of the Hamilton-SUNY Cobleskill contest later this evening.