UTICA, NY – Hartwick women's basketball couldn't buy a basket in the closing stages in a 64-61 loss to Utica College (11-11, 7-5 E8) on Tuesday night at Harold T. Clark Gymnasium. The Hawks had a trio of three-point attempts in the final 30 seconds of the game but each one bounced in and out enabling the Pioneers to escape with the upset win.
            The Hawks, who slip to 16-5 overall and 8-2 in Empire 8 play, received a game- and season-high 24 points from junior guard Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy). She also had five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Freshman forward Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) added 16 points and nine rebounds and junior guard Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) notched nine points and a game-high 11 boards.
            The game see-sawed for all 40 minutes with 12 lead changes and six tie scores. Purcell knocked down her fifth three-pointer, which equaled a career-high, with 1:52 left in the game to give Hartwick its final lead, 62-61, before UC's Samantha Stayer hit a pair from the free-throw line less than a minute later to regain the advantage for the Pioneers.
            A Foglia three from the left side wouldn't fall with 28 ticks left and the Hawks fouled Alyssa Filkins to send her to the line. She missed both free throws but Stayer got the offensive rebound and sank her pair from the stripe after another 'Wick foul to make it a 64-61 game with 24 seconds to play.
            Foglia had another tough look from beyond the arc but it would not go down and the Hawks tied the ball up on the rebound with the possession arrow favoring them with just over eight seconds left. Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) had the last look, but her three-pointer went halfway down the cylinder and back out. Purcell got the rebound and dribbled back beyond the arc but she didn't get her three off before the buzzer and the hosts survived.
            The Hawks would hit 36.9% (24-for-65) from the field in the contest and 32% (9-for-28) from downtown. The Pioneers, who were coming off a dismal 9-for-60 (15%) showing in a 22-point loss to Stevens, shot 55% in the first half which included a 6-of-9 (67%) performance from three-point range in the first half. They finished the game making 43% from the floor and 32% from behind the arc.
            Mary Miceli and Meghan Fiore led four Pioneers in double figures with 14 points apiece. Filkins and Raquel Baudanza each contributed 10 points.
            After Hartwick started the game with the first two baskets, Utica would go on an 11-0 run in a two and a half minute span to take an 11-4 advantage. An 11-0 swing of their own, fueled by three straight threes from Veit, Foglia, and Purcell would put the Hawks back in front 15-11.
            The Pioneers came back with a Baudanza three-pointer and a Fiore layup with 11:33 left and they led for the remainder of the opening half. The lead swelled to six on two occasions over the next seven minutes. With 1:18 showing on the clock, a Marissa Kahane triple gave UC its biggest lead, 32-25, but layups from Dumas and Purcell narrowed the gap. A Miceli basket closed out the first-half scoring with the Pioneers up, 34-29.
            The first six and a half minutes of the second half featured four lead changes with neither team able to build an advantage of more than three points. A Fiore jumper extended a UC lead to five, 43-38, with 12:50 left to play.
            Over the next six minutes, the Hawks fought back to tie the score twice but each time the Pioneers would regain the upper hand. Trailing by three, back to back baskets from Dumas gave the Hawks their first lead since the midway through the first half, 53-52, at 7:04.
            The lead would change hands seven times over the next six minutes. A three-pointer from Foglia gave Hartwick a 58-56 edge with 4:14 left before a Fiore layup evened things at 58-58 thirty-four seconds later.
            The Hawks could not convert on their next three possessions and a Baudanza layup with two minutes to go would put the Pioneers in front, 60-58. Purcell answered with a trey eight seconds later for a 62-61 Hartwick advantage and the Hawks got a stop on defense giving them possession with under a minute to go.
            Purcell would miss on a three-point attempt which could have given the Hawks a four-point edge. Instead, a foul sent Stayer to the line where she put her team up to stay with 54 seconds remaining.
            The Hawks would hold the lead on the glass in the game, 40-31. Both teams turned the ball over 18 times with the Hawks converting 26 points off UC miscues. The Pioneer bench would outscore the Hawks by a 22-8 margin.
            Tonight's loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Hawks against the Pioneers. It also puts Hartwick a half game back of first-place Ithaca (8-1) in the league standings while bumping Utica up to sole possession of third place. The Hawks now face a must-win at home on Friday against the Bombers if they have any hope of securing the top seed and right to host the upcoming Empire 8 playoffs.