ONEONTA, NY - Maria Foglia's (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) three-point play with 17.1 seconds left put Hartwick (14-3, 6-0 E8) in the lead for good in a 69-67 come-from-behind win over visiting Stevens (8-8, 3-3 E8) Tuesday night at Lambros Arena. The victory is Hartwick's seventh straight and keeps them unbeaten and in first place in the Empire 8. 'Wick also remains undefeated at home.
            With the Hawks down a point with 30 seconds to go, Foglia drove strong to the hole, sank a layup off glass to put the Hawks in front and she was fouled. She then sank her ninth free throw of the night to make it a two-point game. The Ducks had two chances to tie the game but the Hawks got the stops they needed in the win.
            Foglia led all scorers with 25 points. Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) added 19 and Kait Veit Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) dropped in 11.
            "I'm proud of our composure down the stretch," said Hartwick head coach Missy West following the victory. "But this was our worst defensive showing this season. We have to learn from this and get better and be ready for our next game."
             The Hawks trailed for the entire first half, falling behind by as many as eight points. The second half went back and forth with five lead changes and seven tie scores. A victory looked unlikely for the Hawks in the late stages of the night as a layup from Avis Benjamin handed the Ducks a 67-63 edge with only 75 seconds remaining in the contest. 
            Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) answered for the Hawks at the other end with a layup and she was fouled. She sank her subsequent free throw and the Hawks were down one, 67-66.
            'Wick shut down the Ducks on the defensive end and with the shot clock winding down, Molly Spadaro threw up an off-balance line drive from three-point range which rolled in and out and Arduini grabbed the rebound for 'Wick with just under 30 seconds to go.
            After Foglia came through with what would prove to be the winning points, Stevens had two chances with under 10 ticks left. Lisa Tessitore missed with eight seconds remaining but Benjamin came down with one of her five offensive rebounds. Her put-back was off-target and the Hawks gained possession with under two seconds showing on the clock. 'Wick in-bounded by throwing the ball to midcourt and time ran out on the Ducks.
            Foglia matched a career-high with her 25 points. She made seven of 19 shots, and sank 9-of-11 from the line. She also dished out five assists. Dumas made 9-of-13 shots and tied for a team-high seven rebounds.  
            Veit's 11 points and three treys both were season-highs. Empire 8 Player of the Week Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) had a tough night shooting but she finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot.
            The Hawks shot 51.7% as a team in the second half, overcoming a 30% showing in the opening stanza. The Ducks hit 47% as a team, including 54% in the second half.
            Benjamin was hard to handle for 'Wick all night. She finished with a team-high 22 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Miranda Ripken contributed 17 and seven, and Spadaro ended up with 10 points.
            "I give Stevens a lot of credit," added West. "They are a great team and came ready to play."
            Hartwick now hits the road for four straight Empire 8 Conference games. The Hawks play at Elmira Friday evening and second-place Ithaca Saturday afternoon. The showdown with the Bombers is a rematch of the 2012 E8 title game.