ONEONTA, NY – Since becoming league opponents beginning in the 2012-13 season, the Hartwick men's basketball team had yet to drop a game against the visiting Houghton Highlanders. On Saturday evening at Lambros Arena, that untarnished streak was further enforced as four Hawks reached double-figure scoring to come away with a 94-83 victory.
Having accumulated a 3-0 week, the Hawks elevate to 4-2 in the league to compliment an 11-4 overall mark. The Highlanders fall to 6-7 on the year and 1-3 inside the Empire 8.
Through nine E8 encounters, Hartwick continues to be perfect at 9-0. The Hawks are 10-1 versus Houghton all-time.
Hartwick played in the forefront the entire contest and for the first half, went up by as many as 13 points (16:41) before simmering to a 44-39 score at the break.
Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes HS) cashed in on a long-range make for the 13-point advantage on a read from Joey Lufkin (Argyle, NY/Argyle Central), 16-3. The duo would reach 11 and 13 respective points to lead the Hawks to the locker room.
A Johnathan Stowe mid-range attempt brought the Highlanders back within three (7:50), but quick in retaliation, LaForest expanded his team's advantage on the ensuing possession with craft in the paint for a 31-26 score.
The turnover game was a difference maker in the first half with Hartwick forcing Houghton into eight miscues which it converted into 13 points.
A turnover that did occur in the visitor's favor was at the hands of Lufkin resulting in a steal for Stowe and a make from distance from Mike Clarke closing the Houghton gap to just two, 41-39 at 2:47.
On the other end, Justin Pratt (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown HS) swiftly answered swishing another one from three-point range to settle the halftime score.
Pratt erupted for a season-high 20 points in large credit to his accuracy from beyond the arc, making 6-of-11 (54.5 percent), accompanied by two assists and three boards.
Clark came out like a firecracker in the visitor's second session netting 14 of the bench's 16 points inside the first 20 minutes. Clark did not miss from downtown, was perfect from the charity stripe, and sank 5-of-9 shots in the second half. Clark would finish with 21 points, seven dimes, three steals, and five boards.
Over the next 20 minutes, 'Wick enlarged its lead to as many as 15 points but a persistent Houghton team continued to claw back.
Its final flirt with a lead occurred three ticks under the 12-minute mark on a made triple from Phil Pellegrino to again bring them within two, 61-59. Again, Hartwick promptly negated the Highlanders' hope as Jake Sinicki (Endicott, NY/Maine-Endwell HS) struck from behind the arc as the Hawks continued to build on the advantage until a victory was no longer in doubt.
Pellegrino ended the high point getter for Houghton with 23. He also added two assists and two blocks.
Sinicki's 17 points were supported by five rebounds, three assists and two rejections. Lufkin ended with 18 points and six assists and LaForest, shooting 50 percent from both the floor and from distance, got to 19 points, with three helpers and two steals.
Marc du Moulin (Altamont, NY/Guilderland HS) added eight points, crashed the boards for eight rebounds, and served up two blocks off the bench.
Hartwick takes almost a week off before heading to Rochester next Friday and Saturday, January 20-21, to face St. John Fisher and Nazareth. Friday's event tips off at 8 p.m.