SPRINGFIELD, MA – Freshman Carlee Hirt (Beacon, NY/John Jay-E. Fishkill) registered game-highs of 15 points and 16 rebounds on Saturday night to lead Hartwick's women's basketball team to a 56-48 win over Western New England University at the Golden Bears Hoop Classic at the Alumni Healthful Living Center in Springfield, MA. The Hawks improve to 1-1 on the season and advance to tomorrow's championship game against Suffolk at 3 p.m.
Hartwick held a big lead in the first half of play before the host Bears mounted a comeback. Two Emily Savino free throws cut the WNE deficit to just one point, 43-42, with 2:31 remaining in the game. A Hirt bucket at the other end, however, triggered an 8-0 Hartwick run over the next minute and a half to put the Hawks up nine points. 'Wick sealed it from the line in the final 1:17, connecting on all eight of its attempts.
Hirt made 7-of-10 shots from the floor on the night. Seven of her 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass as 'Wick scored 12 second-chance points. Sophomore Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central HS) also reached double figures for the Hawks with 13 points, which included a 4-of-4 showing from the free-throw line in the last 43 seconds.
"Carlee had a big game for us," said Hartwick head coach Missy West after the victory. "She was getting every rebound for us and had some big offensive boards and put-backs. Maria had some strong drives to the basket as well."
Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) and Josefine Vincents (Vallensbak, Denmark/Kent School) each scored eight points for Hartwick. Tracey Koch (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem Central) added seven.
The Bears were paced by Katie Eckert and Elena Radzikowski, who each had 10 points. Savino finished with nine.
Hartwick turned a 4-4 game into a double-digit lead in the early going thanks to the Hawks' pressure defense. At one point in the half, the Hawks held the Bears to just one point over an 11 and a half minute span. 'Wick took its biggest lead of the night, 22-5, with 5:11 to play left before intermission. An 11-2 run from the hosts made the score 24-16 at the half.
"We came out with full-court pressure and it rattled them in the beginning," added West. "We got the 17-point lead but couldn't score in about seven or eight possessions to give them an opening before halftime."
The Hawks maintained a slim margin for much of the second half as the two teams went back and forth. The Bears kept it close as Hartwick never led by more than five points over a 10-minute span until a Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mt. Mercy Academy) free throw with 3:41 to play made the score, 44-38.
A basket and free throw from Radzikowski following a Hartwick foul and two Savino free throws made it 44-43 before Hirt countered at the other end for the Hawks.
Savino missed a three for the Bears and they fouled Purcell, who drained a pair to extend the Hawks' edge to five, 48-43, with 1:17 left. Eckert missed another WNE three-point attempt and Koch sank a layup for a seven-point Hartwick advantage with under a minute showing on the clock.
Foglia and Savino would trade free throws over the next 13 seconds before Eckert hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to cut it to a two-possession game. Purcell would put the game away after a Bear foul with five ticks left with two from the free-throw line.
"We weren't making our free throws midway through the second half," West remarked. "Luckily down the stretch, we started hitting them."
Hartwick made 43.9% (18-of-41) of its shots for the game. The Hawks also dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Western New England, 40-26. The Bears made just 32.1% (17-for-53) of their shots from the field, including a 25% (6-of-24) showing in the first half.
"I'm very proud of the girls tonight," said West. "They stuck together when Western England came back and maintained their poise.
'Wick plays Suffolk University (Boston, MA), a 63-48 winner over Mount Holyoke, in tomorrow's title game. The Hawks and Rams have never met in their histories.