SCRANTON, PA –The Hartwick men's basketball team fell short against the hosts in the first round of the Hilton Scranton Invitational, losing 82-67 to the University of Scranton Royals. 'Wick falls to 1-2 on the season, while Scranton improves to 2-0.
            The Hawks played well early on, taking a 10-6 lead a little under five minutes in, thanks in part to six points from Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich). The Royals responded well, however, eventually tying the game and taking a ten point lead thanks to a 12-0 run. 'Wick was able to close the gap to four with 5:18 left in the first half after Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) hit a three-pointer, but Scranton went on a 15-4 run to close the period and take a 45-30 lead into the locker room.
            Hartwick started off the second half well, quickly closing the gap to ten and eventually nine just over six minutes in, but the Royals lengthened their lead out to 16 after Jack Connelly hit a three-point shot with 12:52 to go. The Hawks cut the lead to 12 again with 12:08 left, but Scranton went on a 13-0 run to make the score 72-47 and put the game out of reach. 'Wick went on a bit of a run towards the end of the game, but the Royals were eventually able to take the game by 15.
            Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) led the Hawks in points, scoring 15, and also grabbing four rebounds. Laforest also contributed putting home 13 points. Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) and Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) had nice games as well, each scoring nine points and grabbing seven and six rebounds, respectively. Carruthers ended up with eight points and five boards.
            Scranton won the shooting battle, hitting 50.0% of their shots from the field, compared to Hartwick's 36.7%. The Royals also outshot the Hawks from deep, 33.3% to 25.0%. 'Wick won the board battle, however, 38 to 34, including 11 to 6 on the offensive glass. Scranton had fewer turnovers than Hartwick, with 20 compared to the Hawks' 25.
            Four Royals hit double digits in points. Kyle DeVerna led the way with 18 points and six rebounds, while Logan Bailey also grabbed six boards to go with his 14 points. Jack Brockett had 15 points, and Matthew Mancuso had a strong game with 13 points and seven rebounds before fouling out.
            Hartwick plays next tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Ursinus College in the consolation game of the Invitational.