ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick secured a gritty 60-46 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday night in the Empire 8 semifinals at Lambros Arena. The win books passage into tomorrow's Empire 8 title game where the Hawks will meet top-seeded Ithaca, a 64-54 winner over St. John Fisher. The contest will be a rematch of last season's finale.
            The Hawks led for all but two minutes and 56 seconds early in the first half in the win, although the Ducks kept pace throughout much of the second half. A Dylan Krause three-point basket cut the Hartwick lead to 42-37 with 6:56 remaining in the game. It was the Hawks' slimmest lead since 14:51 was left on the clock in the first half.
            It stayed a five-point game for the next two minutes with both teams unable to add to their total. Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) and Miranda Ripken traded baskets before Empire 8 Player of the Year Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) scored on a layup with 4:19 left to push the lead back to seven.
            Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy) and Molly Spadaro then traded baskets to take the game under the three-minute mark. After a Ducks' timeout, Kait Veit's (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) layup triggered an 8-1 run over the next 1:39 as the Hawks pulled away.
            After a Spadaro free throw cut the Ducks' deficit to eight, 50-42, Purcell answered with a short jumper from the corner. Stevens would turn the ball over on its next possession and following a foul, Purcell knocked down a pair from the free-throw line to give 'Wick a 12-point cushion. Foglia increased the gap to 14 with a pair from the line and the Ducks never got closer than 12 points over the final 70 seconds.
            Foglia led all players with 18 points on the night. She tied for a game-high with eight rebounds. Purcell netted 16 points and grabbed seven boards and is now just four points away from reaching the 1000-point mark for her career.
            Dumas finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Katrina Caulfield (Palmer, MA/Palmer) contributed four points and seven rebounds and Veit scored seven and added five boards.
            In the first half of play, the Hawks used a 10-0 run to open up a 14-4 lead on the visiting Ducks. Purcell would drain a pair of three-pointers in the spurt. The Hawks' edge grew to as much as 11 at the midway point of the first half and they were able to enter halftime with a 10-point lead, 31-21.
            Despite having the sizeable lead, the Hawks shot only 34.6% in the opening frame. 'Wick, however, hit five three-pointers and held a huge advantage on the glass, 26-13.
            The Hawks cooled off from the outside in the second half, going 0-for-11. They finished the night hitting 35.7% (20-for-56) from the floor. The Ducks hit 35.6% (16-of-45) from the field. Hartwick out-rebounded Stevens by a margin of 48-28 in the contest.
            Krause would lead Stevens with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. Spadaro netted nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. Lisa Tessitore contributed seven points.
            Hartwick (19-7) will now get its third crack at Ithaca (24-2) this season. The Hawks fell to the Bombers 53-45 in Ithaca on January 26. Less than two weeks later, IC came away with a 65-55 win at Lambros Arena.
            Tomorrow's game, however, has added significance as 'Wick is searching for its first Empire 8 crown. The Bombers are looking for their eighth title in 14 seasons. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. at Lambros.