HOBOKEN, NJ – For the second time in seven days, Hartwick needed late-game heroics to defeat Stevens Institute of Technology (9-9, 4-4) in Empire 8 Conference women's basketball. The Hawks battled back from a four-point deficit with under 30 seconds left in regulation and won it in overtime, 52-46, at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, NJ.  
            On January 22 at Lambros Arena, junior guard Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) driving layup and subsequent free throw with 17.1 seconds left lifted 'Wick to a 69-67 come from behind win over the Ducks. Foglia was at again in the late stages tonight as her three-pointer with 6.7 seconds to go forced overtime. In the extra session, 'Wick scored the first eight points and held the Ducks scoreless for the first 4:37 to secure the victory.
            Hartwick is now 16-4 overall and pulls into a first-place tie with Ithaca in the Empire 8 at 8-1. The Hawks were paced by freshman forward Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow), who accounted for more than half of the Hawks' points. She finished with a career-high 27 points and added 10 rebounds.  She was the only Hawk in double figures with Foglia ending the contest as the team's next highest scorer with nine points.
            The final eight minutes of regulation play was back and forth and featured five tie scores and three lead changes. The Hawks took a two-point, 35-33, edge after two Dumas free throws with 5:40 remaining before five straight Duck points over the next two minutes gave the hosts a 38-35 lead. Dumas would then convert three straight free throws over the next 28 seconds to even the game once again.
            A layup from Lisa Tessitore put Stevens back in front with 1:19 remaining. The Hawks then missed at the other end putting the ball back into the hands of the Ducks with under a minute to go, setting the stage for a wild final minute.
             'Wick put Tessitore on the free-throw line but she missed the front-end of a one-and-one. Benjamin came down with the offensive board and following a Ducks' timeout, she made it a four-point game, 42-38, on a nice post move and layup with 35 seconds remaining.
            After a Hartwick timeout, Dumas cut the deficit in half with a jumper. The Ducks had trouble in-bounding the ball and tried a long pass that was picked off by Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) at midcourt and the Hawks again called timeout with 21 ticks left.
            When action resumed, Dumas' tough shot in the paint wouldn't fall and Hartwick fouled Molly Spadaro who made 1-of-2 to increase the Stevens' advantage to three, 43-40, with 14 seconds to play. Following a Ducks' timeout, Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) drove to the right side of the three-point arc and got the ball to Foglia who drained her first triple of the game to even the score.
            The game, however, was far from over as the Ducks immediately turned the ball back over to the Hawks after a traveling violation. The ball went to junior sharp-shooter Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) who launched a three with under two seconds left. Veit's shot bounced in and out, though, and an extra five minutes was necessary to decide a victor.
            The Hawks missed their first three shots from the floor in overtime, but a Foglia free throw with 3:28 to play put them in front. Following a stop on defense, a big three pointer from Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) gave 'Wick some breathing room, 47-43, and neither team could fill the hoop for the next minute and a half. Purcell extended the lead to five with a free throw at 1:02 and following another defensive stop, Arduini put the game away with a pair from the stripe with 45 seconds to play.
            The Ducks managed to trim the deficit to five points, 51-46, but they never got off another shot in the game. Dumas converted her 27^th point from the line to close out the scoring with 25 seconds left.
            Hartwick overcame a tough night shooting the basketball. The Hawks shot season-lows of 27.3% (15-for-55) from the field and 59.4% (19-for-32) from the free-throw line. They also made only 3-of-18 from three-point range. 'Wick held a 48-40 margin on the glass, which included 16 offensive rebounds.
            The Ducks also struggled offensively all night. They shot 27.8% (15-for-54), including a 1-for-7 (14%) performance in the extra session.
            Dumas would hit 9-of-19 from the floor for 'Wick. She also made 8-of-12 from the line. Foglia added a game-high 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals to go along with her nine points.
            Vonasek closed the night with five points and she matched a career-high with 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Purcell contributed seven boards and Arduini registered seven points, three assists, and three steals.
            Tessitore led Stevens in the game with 14 points. She tied for a team-best eight rebounds with Spadaro. Benjamin scored 13 points and pulled down seven boards.  
            The first-place Hawks are off for the next week. They next play on February 5 at Utica College, which is currently tied for third in the E8 standings. Hartwick defeated UC 58-50 on December 4.