SCHENECTADY, NY – Host Union grabbed the lead for good with the final bucket of the first half and held it throughout the second as the Dutchmen scored a 73-64 victory over Hartwick's men's basketball team on Friday night at the Viniar Center in Schenectady.
            The Hawks trailed by as many as 12 points in the earlier stages of the second half but battled back and kept the game close, knocking the deficit down to just two points with just over five minutes left to play. Three-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor with under three and a half minutes left, however, would put the hosts up by nine and five points would be as close as the Hawks would get the rest of the way.

            Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) led four Hawks in double figures with 13 points on the night. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown and he dished out three assists. Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) and Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) each added 12 points. Haskell contributed a team-best seven rebounds. Kyle Bradshaw (Tinton Falls, NJ/Manasquan) chipped in 10 points for 'Wick.

            The Dutchmen, who connected on 11 three-pointers in the game, were paced by Jackson Mannix, who hit five treys and finished with a game-high 17 points. Mike Concannon added 13 points and Kevin Jefferson contributed 12. Rhida Eseyade had the game-high in boards with 11.
            The first half would see seven lead changes and eight tie scores in a back and forth 20 minutes. After a three from Kelly to start the scoring, the Hawks would match the lead later, 12-9, following a layup from newcomer Liam Drennan (Oyster Bay, NY/Chaminade). A 12-4 Dutchmen run would give them a 21-16 advantage yet they were unable to build a larger lead for the rest of the half despite hitting the five-point mark on three more occasions. Hartwick earned its final lead of the night, 28-27, after two Kelly free throws with 1:44 left on the clock. A Union free throw evened the score 36 seconds later and a Temi George jumper with two ticks left gave the Dutchmen a 30-28 edge at the break.
            A Union free throw at the 15:49 mark of the second half would start a nine-point swing for the hosts in just over a two-minute window to put them up 12 points, 46-34, with 13 and a half minutes left to play. Hartwick kept chipping away at the Dutchmen lead, however, trimming the gap to three, 55-52, on a Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) triple and to just two, 57-55, after a Connors' trey at the 5:23 mark. Three shots from beyond the three-point arc in a 1:48 window would build the advantage back up to nine. The Hawks tried to extend the game by putting Union to the line in the closing stages of the contest, but the Dutchmen would go 5-of-6 in the final 1:09 to close it out.          
            For the game, Hartwick shot 34% from the floor on 20-of-59 shooting. The Dutchmen shot 44% (20-for-45) as a group. The Hawks won the rebounding battle, 37-35.

            'Wick will host Skidmore on Tuesday, November 12 in its home opener at Lambros Arena.

            Make sure to catch the latest news on all your favorite Hartwick Hawks teams by following @HawkTalk on Twitter, @hartwickhawks on Instagram, and by liking 'Hartwick Hawks' on Facebook.