SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – All five Hartwick starters were in double figures on Tuesday night as the Hawks defeated Skidmore 81-71 at the Williamson Center in Saratoga Springs. The win ups the Hawks' record to 2-3 on the season. Skidmore falls to 1-2.
             Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) led the Hawks with 16 points. He had six rebounds to go along with three three-pointers and a pair of assists and steals. Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. He added six boards. Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) netted 13 points and he pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Sam Hanley (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) scored 12 points and he knocked down a trio of threes. Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) contributed 10 points and six boards.
            The Hawks, who entered the game tied for eighth in the country in three-pointers made, hit another 10 on the night. They would make 42.2% (27-for-64) from the floor while holding Skidmore to 38.7% shooting (24-for-62) and they out-rebounded the Thoroughbreds, 43-41.
            The two teams would trade four leads in the opening nine minutes of the game before a Garey three-pointer at the 10:36 mark of the first half would put Hartwick up for good at 18-16. The lead would grow to as many as 10 following two LaForest free throws with less than four minutes remaining in the first half before the Hawks settled for a 40-33 edge at the break.
            A three from Hanley to start the second half followed by a Haskell bucket pushed the margin to 12 with just a minute elapsed. Skidmore cut the deficit to six, 52-46, with 12:33 left, but baskets from LaForest and Carruthers followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) in just a 1:28 span made it a 16-point Hawks' lead at 62-46.
            The Thoroughbreds trimmed the gap to eight at one point but a LaForest basket made it a double-digit lead a minute later and the Hawks led by 10 or more for the next four minutes. Skidmore made it 69-62 with three and a half minutes showing on the clock and Hanley answered with a three for the Hawks. Seven points would be as close as the hosts would get over the final 1:22 in the Hawks' victory.
            Connors would finish with eight points for the Hawks. Noah Meren would pour in 39 points and added 10 rebounds to lead Skidmore.
            The Hawks return to action in one week at SUNY Oneonta beginning at 8 p.m.