PITTSFORD, NY – Hartwick, after trailing by 12 points in the first half, outscored host St. John Fisher 47-35 in the second half and hung on in the late stages to earn a gritty 71-68 victory over the Cardinals Friday night at Bobby Wanzer Court in Pittsford.
            With the victory, Hartwick stays perfect in the Empire 8 at 3-0 and improves to 9-3 overall. 'Wick's bench was the story for the Hawks tonight as it outscored Fisher's 22-5.
            Senior Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY/Catholic Central) registered a game-high 23 points. She made 12-of-13 (92.3%) from the line, including some clutch free throws in the waning stages to help seal the win.
            Sophomore Brittney Dumas (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) added 16 points and 10 rebounds, which is her seventh double-double this season. Sophomore Alicia Razanousky (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) dropped in a career-high 12 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
            "It's always extremely tough to play at St. John Fisher with a tough atmosphere," remarked a victorious Missy West after the game. "I'm proud we battled back in the second half. We had a lot of players step in off the bench and it's because of them that we came away with this win tonight."  
             The Hawks darted out to an 8-2 lead in the contest over the opening four minutes of action but the hosts would dominate the rest of the first half. The Cardinals would outscore the Hawks 19-4 over the next six minutes as they opened up a 21-12 advantage.
            Over the span, Hartwick would go 1-for-7 from the floor with four turnovers while SJFC would shoot 7-for-9 with a trio of three-point baskets. Layups by Foglia would close the gap to six, 22-16, with five and a half minutes left in the half, but a quick 8-2 Fisher run handed it a 30-18 edge 79 seconds later.
            Hartwick could only manage free throws over the final four minutes of the half with Razanousky scoring a pair and Jessica Bellai (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) adding one. A Camryn Buckner bucket put the Cardinals up 12 again, 33-21, but a free throw from Dumas and layup from Bellai would narrow the Hartwick deficit to nine at the break, 33-24.
            The Hawks would be limited to 36% (9-for-25) shooting in the first half, which included 16.7% (1-for-6) from beyond the three-point arc. The Hawks were also only 50% (5-of-10) from the free-throw line.
            Following a Cardinal basket to start the second half, the Hawks got right back into the thick of things as they scored the next eight points in a 17-2 run which propelled them into the lead after just over six minutes. Foglia (5), Razanousky (4), and Dumas (4) registered the Hawks' points to even the game at 37-all. Lee Arduini (Albany, NY/Academy of the Holy Names) gave 'Wick its first lead since the early going of the first half and Razanousky extended it to four shortly thereafter, 41-37.
            The lead however, was short-lived as a three-point play from Portia Velasco and then a Mary Kate Cusack layup regained the advantage for Fisher. It would mark the beginning of a neck-and-neck ensuing nine minutes in which the lead switched four times with five tie scores and neither team leading by more than four points.
            Razanousky would sink two free throws to put the Hawks ahead 45-42 and later she hit a layup to tie the score at 47-47 with under 10 minutes remaining. After a minute and a half with the score tied at 49-49, Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland) came off the bench to score four straight points in less than a minute and the Hawks were up 53-49.      
            Four straight Fisher points evened the score once again before a Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) layup put Hartwick up for keeps. Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) hit two from the free-throw line and Fisher had three chances on one possession to dig into the lead. Instead, the Hawks got the stop they wanted and senior Kait Veit (Easthampton, MA/Mount Holyoke) nailed a huge three-pointer to increase the Hawks' edge to seven, 60-53, with 3:33 left in the game.
            After the lead was extended to nine on two more from the line from Purcell, the Cardinals would storm back with six of the next seven points to cut the margin to four, 63-59, with 59 ticks to play to set the stage for a furious final minute.
            A Fisher basket was sandwiched in between two pairs of Foglia free throws and Hartwick led 67-61. Sydney Bloomstein and Purcell then traded two foul shots each to bring the game under the 20-second mark. Velasco then converted two from the foul-line and after a 'Wick turnover, Fisher's McKenzie Bezon drained a trey with seven seconds left and the Cardinals trailed by a single point, 69-68.
            SJFC forced Foglia to the line once again and she came through with two makes with four seconds left. Hartwick led 71-68 and Fisher had to go the length of the court for a shot at the game-tying three-pointer. Velasco got her shot off from 35 feet but it was off the mark allowing the Hawks to survive for the victory.
            'Wick would shoot 42.9% in the second half to finish at 39.6% (21-for-53). The Hawks were also an astounding 95.7% (22-of-23) from the free-throw line as a team in the second half to finish at 81.8% (27-of-33). They out-rebounded the Cardinals 35-27 in the game.
            "Alicia had an excellent game for us," West added. "She was poised, hit big shots, played solid defense, and played smart. Jess came in and did exactly what we needed defensively and Jacqui continues to come in and give us important minutes. Kait also hit a really big three for us right when we needed it."
            Velasco would pace the Cardinals with 21 points. Buckner contributed 14, Cusack added 12, and Bloomstein scored 10.
            The Hawks travel to Nazareth tomorrow for another Empire 8 game. Tip-off is 4 p.m.
            "We still need to grow on the court, get smarter down the stretch, and improve on the little things," stated West. "But tonight, I'm happy to get this win."