ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick women's basketball earned its fourth straight win on Wednesday night with a 48-38 victory over Oneonta State at Dewar Arena in a cross-city showdown between two 2012 NCAA Tournament teams. The Hawks trailed 21-20 at halftime, but a Tracey Koch (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem) basket 1:08 into the second half gave Hartwick the lead for good.
            'Wick is now 4-1 on the year. Oneonta State falls to 3-2 with the loss. The victory is the Hawks' second straight over the Red Dragons after snapping a 10-game winless streak against SUCO last season.
            Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mt. Mercy Academy) and Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) each tied for a game-high 13 points to lead Hartwick. Koch and Katrina Caulfield (Palmer, MA/Palmer) each tied for a game-high with eight rebounds.

            In the first half, the Red Dragons jumped out to an early 9-2 advantage as the Hawks turned the ball over four times in their first six possessions in the first 4:35 of the game. A bucket from Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow HS) got the Hawks settled in and it triggered a 13-3 run over a seven-minute span to give the Hawks a 15-12 edge.
            The 'Wick defense would hold Oneonta scoreless for seven minutes before a Grace Schilling steal and layup ended the drought. Hartwick's advantage grew to as many as four, 20-16, following Purcell's third three-pointer of the half with 5:24 left. Lyteshia Price answered with a three on the Red Dragons' next trip down the floor and Schilling gave the hosts the edge a minute and a half later, 21-20. Neither team added to their total over the final three and a half minutes.
            Koch's basket early in the second half put 'Wick in front and the Hartwick defense held the Red Dragons to only three points over the opening 10 and a half minutes of the final period. Two Foglia free throws with just over eight minutes remaining extended the edge to nine points, 35-26, but the Red Dragons would cut the deficit to only four, 38-34, with 4:38 to play on two Kristin Pappalardo shots from the charity stripe.
            On the next trip down the floor for Hartwick, however, Lee Arduini's (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) runner started a 7-2 spurt which put the Hawks up nine, 45-36, with two and a half minutes remaining on the clock and the result was never in doubt the rest of the way.
            The Hawks came through from the free-throw line over the final four minutes going 8-of-11. Foglia, who netted 8-of-9 from the line on the night, and Purcell each sank three foul shots in the late span.
            Hartwick shot just 33% (13-of-39) from the floor as a team in the game but it held SUCO to 28% (15-of-53). The Red Dragons connected on only six of 25 shots in the second half with an 0-for-6 showing from three-point range and 5-for-11 (45%) performance from the foul line. The Hawks held a wide margin in rebounds, 41-30.
            Price led SUCO with 11 points. She contributed seven rebounds. Schilling and Pappalardo each had nine points and Sarah Longto grabbed eight boards.
            Purcell closed the night with six rebounds and four assists to go along with her three treys. Foglia added seven rebounds for Hartwick and Dumas ended the game with seven points. Arduini finished with six.
            The Hawks take their 4-1 record into this weekend as they host Morrisville State Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lambros Arena.