ONEONTA, NY – Despite trailing for a large part of the night, Hartwick's women's basketball team gutted out a hard-fought 55-53 victory over visiting Skidmore on Tuesday night at Lambros.
            The Hawks trailed by 11 points with 12 minutes to go, but a pair of Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) free throws put Hartwick in front with 17.9 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Thoroughbreds had a shot to go ahead blocked by Sarah Shaw (Franklin, MA/Franklin) but they regained possession and called another timeout with 3.2 left.
            On the in-bounds play, the ball went to sharp-shooter Molly McLaughlin but her three-pointer went long. Migle Vilunaite was on the glass to gain the offensive board and she had a good look but her layup went long as well enabling the Hawks to score the victory.
            Vonasek poured in a career- and game-high 24 points for the Hawks. Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby) was also in double figures with 13 points. Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland) hauled down a career- and game-high 10 rebounds in the game. She also earned three assists and three steals.
            Skidmore (6-5) received 16 points from Kelly Donnelly. McLaughlin finished with 15, including four three-pointers. Angela Botiba added 10 points.
            The Thoroughbreds scored the game's first seven points to take control early. A three from Vonasek and then a Stone jumper gave Hartwick its first lead, 13-12, at 10:20. Skidmore would outscore the Hawks by a 15-4 margin over the next seven and a half minutes for a 10-point lead with 2:37 left and they went into the locker room up 10 points, 29-19.
            In the first half, the Thoroughbreds shot 48% from the floor with the Hawks shooting only 27%. It would be a different story in the second half as 'Wick held Skidmore to just 24% shooting and six made field goals.
              The Hawks brought the deficit to two points on an Alicia Razanousky (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) jumper with five minutes gone, but a 9-0 Skidmore run handed the visitors an 11-point, 40-29, advantage with 12 minutes remaining.
            Hartwick got right back into the game with a 14-2 run of its own to take a 43-42 lead with 6:46 left in the contest. Vonasek scored six points in the run and for the second game in a row, Shaw came off the bench to hit timely three's. Her second put the Hawks up one.
            The Thoroughbreds regained the advantage and a Donnelly three-pointer made the Skidmore advantage four, 49-45, with under four minutes left. The Hawks refused to go quietly and they jumped in front again, 51-50, after two Stone free throws with 1:46 showing on the clock. Two Foreman free throws 48 seconds later, increased the edge to three points, but a Mclaughlin triple evened the game at 53-53 with 45 ticks left. Both teams had looks at taking the lead but neither converted. Skidmore's miss, Vonasek was fouled on the defensive glass setting her up for the go-ahead points.
            The Hawks, who have struggled as of late from the line, came through in the second half, making 10-of-13 attempts (77%). The Thoroughbreds held a slim edge on the glass, 37-36. The Hawks grabbed 13 offensive rebounds in the contest, which they turned into 21 second-chance points.
            Vonasek would make 8-of-17 from the floor on the night, including a 5-of-6 showing on the line. She also made three from beyond the three-point arc. Foreman, who hauled down four offensive rebounds, contributed four points as did Razanousky. Shaw finished with six points and Jess Bellai (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) added five boards.
            The Hawks (4-7) take their three-game winning streak back into conference play this weekend at Nazareth on Friday and St. John Fisher Saturday.