ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick came through with a 30-point, 88-58, victory over Houghton on Saturday evening at Lambros Arena. The day served as Hartwick Senior Day with recognition of four-year players Brandon LaForest (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) and Justin Carruthers (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) prior to the contest.
            All nine Hawks contributed the victory with the two seniors combining to shoot 10-of-20 with 10 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and a steal. LaForest netted 16 points with a pair of three-pointers. He also had six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Carruthers chipped in six points, four boards, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
            Four Hawks ended up in double figures led by Pat Garey's (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) game-high 19 points. He nailed five treys in the game and contributed a game-high six steals, five rebounds, and three helpers. Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) scored 16 points, his second-highest total of the season, to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) dropped in 14 points for 'Wick.
            The Hawks out-scored the Highlanders 40-16 in the paint and they finished the game making 47% (34-for-73) from the field. They connected on 10 threes despite only a 29% shooting rate for the contest. Hartwick would also hold a slim 41-40 edge on the glass and the defense held the Highlanders to 34% shooting and forced them into 19 turnovers.
            Carruthers gave the Hawks the lead on a bucket 32 seconds into the game and the home team would hold the advantage the rest of the night. 'Wick led by a count of 9-2 before Houghton trimmed the lead to one, 11-10, three minutes later. The Hawks then went on a 23-4 run over the next five minutes to grab their biggest lead of the half, 34-14. In the span, Hartwick made eight shots in a row and 9-of-10 from the floor, including five threes with Garey knocking down three of them. Houghton cut its deficit to 12 at one point before the Hawks settled on a 45-30 lead at the break.
            In the second half, the Highlanders whittled the Hawk advantage to 11 three times in the opening five minutes but they got no closer. 'Wick would lead by at least 15 points over roughly the final seven minutes of action. The Hawks would end the game on a 23-8 run for the 88-58 final score.
            Kyle Bradshaw (Tinton Falls, NJ/Brookdale CC) aided in the win with seven points and three assists for the Hawks. Calvin Seward (Bridgeport, CT/Fairchild Wheeler) added four points and four rebounds. Sam Hanley (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) scored three with three assists and Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) had five rebounds, three points, three rebounds, and two steals.
            LaForest's performance moved him up three Hartwick all-time lists. He now has 1,291 points, which moves him into the top-15 in scoring in the 89-year history of the program. His 445 assists now ranks sixth all-time, and his 185 three-pointers is tied for fifth.
            Hartwick, which improves to 8-13 overall and 4-8 in the E8, looks for its second straight victory on Tuesday, February 5 when the Hawks visit Elmira College. Tip from Speidel Gymnasium is 7:30 p.m.
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