ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick broke open a tight game in the later stages of the first half with a 12-1 run and cruised in the second half to claim a 71-59 victory over Utica in a game played at Lambros Arena Saturday. With the triumph, the Hawks improve to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8 Conference. They are tied for the league's top spot with Elmira (2-0).
            All sixteen Hawks made it into the game with 12 players registering points. 'Wick was paced by senior Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) and sophomore Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) who combined for 38 points and 18 rebounds on the night. Foglia tallied a game-high 22 points with eight rebounds and four three-pointers. Dumas registered her sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards.
            Utica received 14 points and a game-best 17 rebounds from Bridget Greenwald. Mary Miceli contributed a team-high 19 points.
            Hartwick was able to put some distance between itself and Utica in the first half thanks to seven three-point field goals in the first 20 minutes, with four coming from Foglia. Neither team was able to build a lead of more than three points through the first eight and a half minutes as the score was tied for times with a pair of lead changes.
            A shot from Dumas, however, made the margin seven, 23-16, nearly at the midway point of the half before both teams traded three-pointers. Miceli and Calypso Carty netted shots from long distance for the Pioneers and Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Holyoke Catholic) converted one for the Hawks and UC trailed by four.
            A shot from Greenwald narrowed the gap to two points, 26-24, with 6:57 left in the half, but the Hawks would rattle off the next 12 points over the next five minutes with Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby), Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy), and Foglia all making shots from downtown.
            'Wick would take a 38-25 advantage into the locker room. Foglia and Dumas combined for 27 points and 14 rebounds in the half.
            A 13-2 start to the second half would put Hartwick up 24 points, 51-27, at 15:40. Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) would lead the way with five points in the span.
            Hartwick led by at least 17 points for the next five minutes and grabbed its biggest lead of the night, 62-37, on a Dumas three-point play with 7:07 left. The Pioneers would begin to chip away at the lead over the final seven minutes, but the 'Wick edge was insurmountable and never was shrunk under 12 points the rest of the way.
            Foglia finished the game making 8-of-16 shots. Dumas would sink 7-of-18 shots and she contributed a game-high three steals. Arduini closed the game with seven points and Purcell scored five, distributed a game-high five assists, and added five rebounds.
            The Hawks shot 41.5% (27-for-65) as a unit. With a 1-for-8 showing from three-point land in the second half, they finished the contest making 33.3% (8-for-24).
            The Pioneers, who held the edge in rebounds, 44-40, shot 32.8% (19-for-58) in the game.
            The Hartwick Hawks are back in action in Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday night. The team will battle nationally 23^rd ranked Vassar. Tip-off is 6 p.m.