ONEONTA, NY – The Hartwick women's basketball team used a pair of 8-0 runs on either side of the halftime break to defeat the visiting Union College Dutchwomen, 60-49, in each team's season opener on Friday night at Lambros Arena.
The game started out evenly-matched; at the end of the first quarter 'Wick was up by one point. The Hawks put together a 7-0 run towards the middle of the second quarter to increase their lead to eight, thanks in part to a lay-up and three-pointer by Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem), but Union battled back with an extended run of their own to go ahead by one with 1:51 left in the half. Hartwick immediately answered with the first of their two 8-0 runs, using a three-pointer from Molly's sister, Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem), and five points from Carly Johnson (Greenville, NY/Greenville Central) to go up by seven, eventually leading 26-21 at the break.
The Hawks started the third quarter where they left off in the second. After Mary Schoenherr (Unionville CT/Farmington) knocked down a jump shot, Maggie Kirby hit three-pointers on the next two possessions to extend the lead to 13. The rest of the game went pretty calmly, with each team trading buckets. Union cut their deficit to seven twice, but Hartwick was able to extend the lead back out to double digits each time. Johnson hit the dagger with 1:56 remaining in the game, draining a three-pointer to put 'Wick up by 12 and forcing a timeout from the Union head coach. The Hawks hit their free throws down the stretch, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to keep the game out of reach.
Johnson led the way for Hartwick, playing all 40 minutes and leading all comers with 23 points. She hit nine of her eleven free-throw attempts, helping to close the game for the Hawks. The Kirby sisters had solid evenings, with Maggie potting 12 points and grabbing six rebounds while Molly put in seven points and had five boards. Caitlin Corbett (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) contributed as well, with eight points, six rebounds and a tie with Schoenherr for the team-high in assists, with three. Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) had eight rebounds, the team-high.
The Dutchwomen out-shot the Hawks, making 33.3% of their shots to Hartwick's 32.2, but 'Wick was strong from beyond the arc, hitting 7-of-16 (43.8%) three pointers, while Union made just 3-of-21 (14.3%). 'Wick was also able to get to the free-throw line at a much higher clip, shooting 88.2% on 17 free throws compared to Union's four makes on five attempts (80%). The Dutchwomen held the edge in rebounds, 45-40, including 12 offensive boards leading to an 8-2 edge in second-chance points.
Sophie Borg led Union with 14 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Darby Leid also had a good evening, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds. Amber Raisner led all players with four assists, and she had 11 points of her own.
Hartwick returns to action on Tuesday, November 13 back in Lambros Arena, as it takes on SUNY Cortland at 5:30 p.m.