ALFRED, NY – Hartwick led by as many as 15 points in the second half but needed to hold on late after a furious Alfred (10-14, 4-9 E8) rally in a 77-72 victory for the Hawks. The win ups the Hawks' season mark to 13-11 and their E8 record to 5-8. They complete a weekend sweep and take the season series with the Saxons with the victory.

            Pat Garey (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City), Kyle Bradshaw (Tinton Falls, NJ/Manasquan), and Bobby Connors (Rockville Centre, NY/Chaminade) combined to score 62 of the Hawks' points in the contest. Garey made 8-of-13 shots and Bradshaw hit 8-of-12 to each finish tied for a game-high 22 points. Garey also grabbed five rebounds and tied for a game-high with five assists. Bradshaw made four three-pointers. Connors hit a trio of threes and finished with 18 points to go along with a game-high with nine boards.    
            'Wick made just under 51% from the floor as a group as they hit 27-of-53. The Hawks made 50% from three-point range on 9-of-18 shooting.
            The two teams were separated by three points or less in the opening 11 minutes of the game with the lead changing hands five separate times. A 10-2 Hartwick run, with Tommy Kelly (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) scoring five in a row, gave the Hawks a 21-14 lead at the 8:24 mark. It grew to eight after a Connors' old-fashioned three-point play a minute and a half later.

            Alfred quickly cut the Hawk advantage to two points before the Hawks got six of the next seven to extend the lead to seven with under two minutes to play. The hosts scored the final four points to inch closer at halftime, 33-30.
            Garey registered 10 points in the half to pace the Hawks. Connors had eight with Bradshaw netting seven.

            After an early 'Wick bucket in the second half, AU out-scored the Hawks 11-4 to gain the upper hand, 41-39. It would be the first of five lead changes over the next three minutes of action. The Hawks were in front by just two, 55-53, before they took off with a 15-2 run over a five-minute span to earn a 15-point lead. Nick Eiler (Highland Mills, NY/Saddle River Day), Bradshaw, and Connors all hit treys in the run.
            It appeared the Hawks would cruise the rest of the way with the big lead and only five and a half minutes left, but the Saxons had other ideas. They scored 15 of the next 16 points while forcing the Hawks into four turnovers and they trimmed the gap to a single point, 71-70, with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Garey sank two from the line for Hartwick before Sam Dagon did the same to make it 73-72. Kelly and Garey each made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to increase the lead to three, 75-72, with five ticks left. The Hawks fouled putting Brewster Marshall to the line. He missed his first free throw forcing him to miss the second on purpose. Bradshaw came down with his fourth rebound of the game and he closed it out sinking a pair from the line.
            Garey connected on one three-pointer which ties him for fifth (190) in the Hartwick record book. Kelly ended the contest with six points. Liam Drennan (Oyster Bay, NY/Chaminade) chipped in five and Austin Haskell (Kirkwood, NY/Susquehanna Valley) had five rebounds.
            Alfred received 20 points from both Dagon and Marshall. They were the lone Saxons in double figures.

            The Hawks wrap up the regular season next weekend when they host Elmira College on Saturday, February 22. Game time is 2 p.m.

            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.