ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick's women's basketball team came up short in its quest for an Empire 8 Championship on Saturday in a 47-29 loss to top-seeded Ithaca in a game played at Lambros Arena. The contest was a physical one which featured two top defenses as points were at a premium all afternoon. In the end, the Bombers overcame a poor shooting performance in the first half to hit 52% in the second half to pull away for their second straight conference title.
            All-Tournament selection Jenn Escobido tied for a game-high with 13 points for the Bombers with Mary Kate Tierney also dropping in 13 points. Tournament Most Valuable Player Devin Shea, who notched 14 points and six boards in yesterday's semifinal victory over Fisher, scored six.
            Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) paced Hartwick with 12 points. She joined Shea and Escobido on the All-Tournament Team. Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) contributed eight points for the Hawks and Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) hit the 1,000-point mark for her career with four points on the day.    
            Both teams combined for only six points over the opening six and a half minutes of the contest. The Hawks hit two of their first four shots to grab a 4-0 lead while the Bombers missed their first seven attempts. Shea would finally get Ithaca on the board after 4:39 but neither team added to their total over the next two minutes.
            Following a Foglia layup at the 13:08 mark, the Bombers would clamp down defensively and not allow the Hawks another point for the next eight minutes and seven seconds. A 10-0 IC run would put the visitors in front by a 12-6 margin.
            Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) ended the Hartwick drought with a driving layup with 5:01 remaining in the half. The Bombers would then tack on two buckets to make it 16-8 with 2:49 left.
            After a Dumas layup, Tierney sank a pair from the line for an IC eight-point lead, 18-10. With under a minute left, though, the Hawks got a huge lift as Foglia and Purcell each sank three-pointers to close the gap to two, 18-16 at the break.
            The Bombers shot only 25% (6-for-24) in the half with the Hawks making 32% (7-of-22) from the floor. Foglia (5) and Tierney (5) were the high scorers for their respective teams over the first 20 minutes.
            Hartwick could not buy a basket over the opening seven minutes of the second half, shooting 1-for-9 in the span. The Bombers on the other hand, went 6-for-10, including three-pointers from Escobido and Tierney to open up a 32-18 advantage.
            Foglia connected on a triple at 12:49, but the Hawks' offensive woes continued as they managed just two points over the next nine minutes of action. The Bomber would lead grow to 20 points, 43-23, with 6:44 remaining in the game.
            A Kathryn Campbell layup increased the Bomber edge to 22 and eighteen points was as close as 'Wick could get the rest of the way.
            The Hawks converted just five shots from the floor (5-for-26) in the second half with the Bombers making 13 of their 25 shots (52%). For the game, the Hawks made 12-of-48 shots (25%) and 3-of-18 (16.7%) from three-point range. They also went to the free-throw line only four times all day.
            Ithaca finished with a percentage of 38.8% (19-for-49). The team made five of their 12 three-point attempts (41.7%) and held the edge on the boards, 39-31.
            Purcell, who tied for a game-high with nine rebounds, hit the 1,000-point mark on a free throw with 6:44 left in the contest. She becomes only the fourteenth player in Hartwick history to achieve the milestone.
            With the victory, Ithaca improves to 25-2 and wins its eighth conference championship in the last 14 seasons. The Bombers also earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
            The Hawks, who fall to 19-8, will await their postseason fate on Monday. The 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced at 2:30 p.m. ECAC postseason selections will be announced later that evening.