ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick's men's basketball team got a scare against visiting Elmira but came through in the second half on Saturday at Lambros Arena for an 81-70 win. The Soaring Eagles nailed 10 threes in the opening half and led by as many as 18 points, but the Hawks out-scored them 51-30 in the second half for the victory.
            With the result, the Hawks improve to 10-4 overall and remain unbeaten in the Empire 8 at 5-0. Elmira falls to 2-13 and 0-6.
            Hartwick would shoot 57% from the floor as a group in the opening half, but the visitors were hitting from everywhere outside of the arc. Justin Henderson and Hayden Harkins would each make four treys to pace EC. Anthony Abate's three-pointer with 7:29 remaining in the half put the Soaring Eagles in front, 34-16.
            The Hawks netted eight straight points to cut the margin to nine before Elmira would take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
            Hartwick would get back in front just five minutes into the second half. Matt Wilson's (Shelton, CT/Franklin & Marshall College) basket and free throw made it 46-44 Hawks and they never trailed again.
            'Wick would start the half on a 20-4 run as it opened up a 50-44 advantage. The Soaring Eagles would keep the game close over the next several minutes and another Harkin three-pointer made it a 57-54 game with 7:33 remaining. The Hawks, however, would put the game away as they scored the next 11 points to grab a 68-54 edge with 5:30 left. EC cut its deficit to eight with 2:23 left in the contest, but could not get any closer.
            Wilson was a force inside for the Hawks as he finished with game-highs of 26 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocked shots. He made 10-of-13 shots from the field on the day.

Trevor Norton (Mullica Hill, NJ/Ursinus College) contributed 23 points, seven boards, and a trio of three-pointers. Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine Endwell) added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle Central) scored 11 points. Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) registered eight assists.

            Hartwick would end up shooting 59% from the floor and it out-rebounded Elmira by a margin of 37-27. The Hawks dominated down low, out-scoring the Soaring Eagles 44-16 in the paint.
            Harkins finished with 21 points on seven threes for EC, which totaled 15 treys on the day. Henderson finished with 18 points on six triples.  
            The Hawks next play on Tuesday, January 19 in an Empire 8 road game against Nazareth. The Hawks and Golden Flyers begin at 6 p.m. at Kidera Gymnasium.