BINGHAMTON, NY – Hartwick trailed by only single digits with two and a half minutes left in the game against heavily favored Binghamton before the host Bearcats netted the final 10 points for an 89-70 victory on Saturday at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Binghamton. The game served as an exhibition contest for the Hawks. The Bearcats improve to 3-5 overall.
            Hartwick shot the ball well from the outside to stay in the game, making 15-of-27 (56%) from beyond the three-point arc. The Bearcats knocked down 12 threes of their own. They also forced 16 turnovers which they converted into 31 points on the day.  
            Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) led all players with 19 points. He made seven of his nine shots from the floor and was perfect from downtown hitting 5-of-5. Kyle Bradshaw (Tinton Hills, NY/Brookdale CC) contributed 17 points with three three-pointers. Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) was also in double figures with 14 points. He connected on 4-of-5 attempts from three-point range.   
            The Hawks shook off an early 7-0 hole with a 13-2 run to grab a 13-9 lead with 12:40 left after a Bradshaw three-pointer. They would end up leading the Bearcats for just under six and a half minutes. Just after a media timeout at the 7:55 mark, Garey hit one of his four first-half three-pointers and Hartwick made it a 21-17 game. The Bearcats, however, used a 15-2 run over the next three minutes, connecting on 6-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from downtown to open up a 32-23 advantage.
            'Wick trimmed the gap to seven following a Sam Hanley (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) jumper but the hosts would build the lead back up to as many as 14 before settling on a 46-33 lead the break.
            Garey paced the Hawks, who went 7-of-11 (64%) from downtown, with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes. Bradshaw would add 10. Binghamton, which converted nine Hartwick turnovers in the first half into 17 points, was led by Sam Sessoms' 13 points.
            The Hawks were hot to start the second half with Hanley, Townes, and Garey all hitting three-pointers in an 11-5 run, cutting the deficit to seven, 51-44. The Bearcats would then score the next 12 unanswered points to build their lead up to 19 points, 63-44, after five and a half minutes.
            Back-to-back threes from Kelly and Bradshaw and then a put-back from Garey made it an 11-point game at the second media timeout. After play resumed, two Townes' free throws cut the Binghamton lead to single digits at 63-54. An 11-2 Bearcat run quickly grew the margin to 18 points.
            Hartwick regrouped after a timeout and slowly chipped away at the deficit. A Justin Carruthers' (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) free throw made it a 13-point game. Later, Bradshaw made a basket and Kelly followed with a bucket and then a three, all within a minute and a half window, to cut the lead to 79-70 with 3:26 left in the game. The Hawks had another chance to inch closer but they turned the ball over. They would miss their final five shots in the late BU run to close out the game.
            The Hawks shot 41% (25-for-61) from the floor as a group with the Bearcats connecting on 50% (32-of-64) of their shots. The hosts held a 39-34 edge on the glass.
            Kevin Townes (Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) chipped in eight points, a game-high six assists, and four rebounds for the Hawks. Hanley finished with five points and Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) netted four points to go along with a team-best nine rebounds.
            The Bearcats were paced by Sessoms' 17 points. He was one of five players in double figures. Caleb Stewart scored 16 points, Chancellor Barnard contributed a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 10 boards, Timmy Rose netted 12, and Everson Davis added 10. Oneonta native Albert Odero scored six. Binghamton, which entered the game ranked tied for second in Division I basketball in both blocked shots and blocked shots per game, totaled seven on the day.  
            Hartwick next plays two weeks from today on Saturday, December 15 at the King's College FNCB Bank Monarch Classic. The Hawks play the host Monarchs in the opening round at 5 p.m.