TROY, NY – Five Hawks were in double figures but a second-half rally fell short at The Sage Colleges, 83-77, at Kahl Gym in Troy Tuesday night. The Hawks climbed back from a 14-point first-half deficit and took the lead with eight minutes left in the game. The lead changed hands six times with two tie scores in the next five minutes taking the game under the three-minute mark. The Gators took the lead with 2:20 remaining and they finished the game on a 12-2 run to claim the win.

            Hartwick drops to 8-15 overall and 5-9 in the Empire 8 Conference with the loss. The host Gators improve to 11-13 and 6-9.

            Patrick Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) led all Hawks with 14 points. He made 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers. Corey Baker (Granby, MA/Granby) and Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) each chipped in 12 points. Baker also had two treys.

            Marc du Moulin (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) and Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) added 11 points apiece. Du Moulin contributed six rebounds with LaForest adding four boards and four assists. Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) had eight points, a team-high seven rebounds, and game-high three blocked shots. Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) contributed seven points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

            Sage was led by Jordan Devaughn, who scored 20 points. Kevin Lenehan registered a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds. Wayne Weir and Isaiah Scurry added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

            Hartwick seized control early in the first half as it took a 14-7 advantage following back-to-back three-pointers by Baker and Townes 4:42 into the contest. The Gators would storm back with a 23-6 run over the next eight and a half minutes to grab a 30-20 advantage.
            The Hawks closed their deficit to four points, 31-27, at the 4:39 mark on a du Moulin layup, but Sage used a 12-2 spurt to go up 14 points just three minutes later. 'Wick closed the half with eight of 11 points to make it 46-37 Gators at halftime.

            Down nine at the break, the Hawks would use an 11-2 run over a minute and a half span with Sam Hanley (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) finishing off a layup to put Hartwick up one, 68-67, with 8:12 left. A back-and-forth game ensued over the next five minutes until the Gators broke a 75-all tie and scored 12 of the final 14 points.

            Hartwick hosts Houghton on Friday, February 16 at Lambros Arena beginning at 6 p.m.