ELMIRA, NY – Hartwick's women's hoop team took the lead on a pair of Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) free throws with 2:40 remaining and picked up defensive stops on Elmira's final four possessions to emerge with a 47-46 Empire 8 Conference victory on Saturday at EC's Speidel Gymnasium. The win is Hartwick's second in its last three games and the Hawks improve their record to 7-16 overall and 5-9 in league play.
            Following a three-pointer from Kelsey Geisler with 3:09 to play which gave Elmira a 46-45 advantage, the Hawks picked up two offensive rebounds on misses before Vonasek went to the line to put the Hawks ahead for good.
            Jess Bellai (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) picked up a steal on EC's next possession with 2:17 left, and after a Hartwick miss, Christina Graziadei (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) blocked Danielle Cleary's layup attempt and grabbed the rebound with 1:25 to play. On the Soaring Eagles' next possession with 42 ticks remaining, Emily Stone (Granby, CT/Granby) stole an in-bounds pass to give 'Wick the ball back.
            The Hawks ran the clock down and couldn't convert on their field goal attempt with under 15 seconds left and the hosts had the ball back with 11.5 seconds under their own basket. With roughly two seconds left, Cleary had a look from three-point range which would have won it but it bounced off the rim and the Hawks got the win.
            Vonasek and Stone finished the game with 13 points each to lead 'Wick. Vonasek also tied for a team-best with six rebounds with Graziadei and Jacqui Foreman (Tolland, CT/Tolland).
            Hartwick started strong scoring on six of their first nine attempts from the floor for a 15-7 lead with under 13 minutes left in the first half. But a Graziadei bucket with 9:09 left would mark the final points of the half for the Hawks. 'Wick missed its final 11 shots from the floor and five free throws in the span as EC led at the break, 21-17.
            Both teams shot under 30% in the opening half but the difference was on the free-throw line. The Soaring Eagles made 12-of-14 (85.7%) as a team, while the Hawks were an abysmal 1-for-10 (10%).
            Neither team would lead by more than three points for the first 11 minutes of the second half. The score was tied six times with the lead changing hands once.
            Two straight Cleary three's and then a layup with 7:34 remaining pushed the Elmira lead to its biggest of the day, 41-33. But ten straight Hawk points put Hartwick ahead 43-41. An old-fashioned three-point play from Courtney Cirillo (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown), a three from Stone, two free throws from Kelsey Brown (Barrington, NH/Tilton School), and two Vonasek free throws contributed to the spurt. The two teams traded points before Geisler gave Elmira its final lead of the contest.
            Hartwick would make 42% of its shots in the second half and 88% of its free throws. The Hawks finished shooting 36% (18-for-50) from the floor. They held Elmira to just 26% (12-for-46) for the game. The Soaring Eagles held a large edge in rebounds, 42-30.
            Stone hit 6-of-12 shots to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Graziadei added four points and three blocks to her six rebounds. Foreman contributed five points and Cirillo notched six points, four rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. Bellai had a game-high three steals and tied for a game-best with three assists.
            Hartwick wraps up its season next weekend at Lambros Arena. The Hawks host St. John Fisher on Friday, February 20 and Nazareth on Saturday, February 21.