ITHACA, NY – Hartwick College women's basketball is in first place in the Empire 8 Conference standings after hanging on, 56-53, against host Ithaca on Saturday at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Hawks and Bombers are now tied at the top with identical 8-1 records. It marks just the second time in program history that the Hawks have been 8-1 in conference play.
            'Wick, which led for all but 1:43 in the game, looked poised to secure the win with a 7-point, 54-47 lead with just over a minute left only to have the Bombers score six points in 20 seconds to pull within one. After Jo Vincents (Vallensbak, Denmark/Kent School) sank two from the free-throw line, Ithaca had one last chance with one second left but the Bombers' full-court pass was picked off giving the Hawks the win.
            The victory for Hartwick is its first in 11 tries against the Bombers. The Hawks also hand Ithaca just its second regular season conference loss in the last three seasons (39-2).
            "What a great win for our program," said Hartwick head coach Missy West after the game. "I'm so proud of our players. They stuck to the game plan today and have worked so hard all season."
            Sophomores Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) and Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) led Hartwick with 36 of the team's 56 points today. Foglia led all scorers with 20 points. She added a game-high three assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Purcell scored 16 points, grabbed six boards, and contributed two assists and a steal.
            The Hawks never trailed in the first half of play and led by a 28-17 margin at the break. Hartwick held a slim 21-15 edge with under two minutes to play, but Foglia took over with seven points in the final 1:17 to extend the edge to 11. She hit a three-pointer to trigger the spurt and converted a layup on the Hawks' next possession. After an Ithaca basket, she dropped in another layup just before the horn for her 11^th and 12^th point of the half.
            The Hawks shot 44% and hit four three-pointers over the first 20 minutes of action. Defensively, they limited the Bombers to just 17 points and 16.7% shooting (5-of-30), including 0-for-7 from deep.
            The 'Wick advantage grew to as many as 14 points, 35-21, with 13:53 remaining in the second half after Purcell knocked down a three-pointer. IC, however, would begin to chip away at the deficit. The Bombers scored eight of the next 11 points to trim the Hartwick lead to single digits, 38-29, with a little over 11 minutes to go.
            A Foglia layup pushed the lead back up to 42-31 near the midway point of the half but it would mark the last Hartwick field goal for the next seven minutes. The Bombers scored the next 11 points, capped by Samantha Klie's layup to tie the score at 44 with 3:35 left to play.
            Free throws from Katrina Caulfield (Palmer, MA/Palmer) gave the Blue and White a quick two-point edge, 46-44, but a Jenn Escobido three-pointer on the Bomber's next touch gave the hosts their first lead of the day, 47-46.
            Following turnovers by both teams, Caulfield converted a jumper that put the Hawks up to stay with 2:33 remaining. She came up with a steal at the other end and an IC player was whistled for a technical foul. Foglia stepped up and drained the pair from the line and a Purcell driving layup made it a five-point game, 52-47.
            The Bombers missed on a three-pointer and Vincent netted two from the stripe after an IC foul to push the lead back to seven, 54-47, with 1:12 showing on the clock. Klie's put-back for IC made it a five-point deficit with under a minute left and Devin Shea scored on a layup and was fouled following a Bomber steal seconds later. Shea missed the free throw, but Escobido cleaned up the offensive glass and her layup made it a one-point game, 54-53, with 38 seconds to go marking six IC points in 20 seconds.
            The Hawks killed as much of the clock as they could, but a Kathryn Campbell steal with just over seven seconds left gave the Bombers the ball back. With the final seconds ticking away, Campbell attempted a length-of-the-court pass to a teammate, but Vincents was there to pick it off and she was fouled with just a second left. After sinking her free throws, the Bombers desperation out-of-bounds play fell short.
            The Hawks ended the game 41.5% as a team and 46.2% from three-point range. They also made 16-of-21 free throws. The Bombers hit only 31.8% and 15.8% from downtown.  IC held a 42-31 edge in rebounds for the game.
            Escobido led Ithaca with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Shea added 13 points and seven boards.
            Vincents closed out her day with 10 points, two assists, and two steals. Caulfield finished with six points and Samantha Fox (Hartwick, NY/Cooperstown) notched four points, six rebounds, and three blocks.
            The Hawks, winners of seven straight games and 15 of their last 16, next play Alfred at Lambros Arena on Friday, February 3.